Former India opener Kris Srikkanth clarified that he holds no personal bias against Sanju Samson but maintained his stance that the Kerala batter is not his first-choice wicketkeeper for the Asia Cup 2025 squad. India’s squad for the T20 tournament, scheduled in the UAE from September 9 to 28, was unveiled in Mumbai on Tuesday, August 19.
Shubman Gill earned a recall and was named vice-captain, while Samson was retained as one of the two wicketkeeper-batters. Speaking on his YouTube channel Cheeky Cheeka, Srikkanth shared his take on the selection, predicting that India would prefer Jitesh Sharma as the keeper-batter in the XI, with Shubman Gill opening ahead of Sanju Samson.
Explaining his reasoning, he said: “I am not being biased against Sanju Samson. Tell me, when did he score those three hundreds? By that logic everybody will start playing. We have to look at the recent track record. In the IPL as well, he has not done anything great. He didn’t do well in the last five T20Is as well.”
“If the IPL performance is not considered, then what is the use of having IPL? I like Samson, but where will he play? Jitesh Sharma has to play as finisher. I am pro-Jitesh Sharma, not anti-Sanju Samson. On current form, Samson does not find a place in the team,” the 65-year-old went on to add.
“Two Keeper-Batters Is A Luxury” – Kris Srikkanth On Samson, Jitesh’s Asia Cup 2025 Selection
Offering more views on India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad, former chief selector Kris Srikkanth raised doubts over the decision to pick two wicketkeepers in the 15-member side.
Surprised by the selection strategy, he remarked, “Both Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma have been picked in the team. I am not for it. They should have picked only one keeper-batter in the 15-man squad. If there is an injury, they can easily send a replacement player through a flight. The event is in Dubai [UAE]. Having two keeper-batters is a luxury.”
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