With Shubman Gill being appointed the vice-captain for the upcoming Asia Cup, it’s almost certain that the Indian Test captain will open the innings in the tournament along with either Abhishek Sharma or Sanju Samson. With Sharma in fine form, Samson can be asked to bat down the order in case he is named in the final XI in the tournament. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra believes Samson is a real contender for the top three slot but the Rajasthan Royals batsman goes down in the list of frontrunners, if his middle order form is considered.
“Sanju Samson is the first contender because he played the last series. He has struck three centuries in the last 12 matches. He is also part of the team at the moment. So, of course, he will be the first guy to talk about. If we look at his numbers at positions one to three in all T20s, he has scored more than 6,000 runs at a strike rate of 140 and an average of 33, which are really good numbers. So Sanju Samson is a real contender if you want a keeper in the top three. But when I look at his numbers from four to seven, he has played 98 matches with an average of 20 and a strike rate of 126. Neither the strike rate nor the average looks very good there. You would keep Sanju as a frontrunner at the top, but suddenly, when you change his batting position, he goes down in the list,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vice-captain and wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma is also in the final squad of 15 to be led by Surya Kumar Yadav. Sharma, who has so far played in nine T20Is for India, makes his return to the Indian team after more than a year. Sharma had amassed 261 runs at an average of 37.29 and strike rate of 176.35 during RCB’s title winning campaign in this year’s IPL and Chopra sees Sharma as the wicket-keeper and finisher in the Indian final eleven in Asia Cup. “I feel Jitesh Sharma will play in the XI. We shouldn’t think too much about positions one to three because he won’t get a chance there. However, his numbers at positions four to seven have become a lot better. He has a strike rate of 166 and an average of 28. He is the first batter whose strike rate is above 150. So when the pecking order is prepared, he will go right to the top. Jitesh Sharma’s numbers have looked the best among everyone else. He is shining bright and seems to be at number one. I really hope he has a good Asia Cup,” Chopra added.
While Rishabh Pant had a mediocre IPL with 269 runs in 14 matches, the 27-year-old had an impressive outing during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England, where he amassed 479 runs in four Test matches. Pant was injured during the fourth Test of the series at Manchester and was sidelined for more than two months. Chopra believes that the Indian team management should keep Pant in mind for the T20 format. “I think we should keep Rishabh Pant in mind. There are still 15 T20Is left after the Asia Cup, and a whole lot of things can change in that time. Maybe names like Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal will come up, so you should start considering Rishabh Pant. The number you have to bat at—you need someone who can finish things off and strike very hard. Again, there is unfulfilled and unrealised potential in T20s, but Rishabh has that talent, no?,” Chopra said.
