The decision to pick Jitesh Sharma ahead of Sanju Samson in India’s first T20I against South Africa has laid bare the direction in which team management is headed — especially with the upcoming home ICC Men’s T20 World Cup looming.
What looked like a mere trial — giving Jitesh a run at the back end — is now being taken as a clear message: the management appears to be favouring a specialist finisher rather than a wicket-keeper batter originally seen as a top-order option.
Given that Jitesh has now featured in the final XI for the opening match against South Africa — after being tried in several T20s in Australia — the selectors seem to have made up their minds. It signals that unless there’s a drastic change in circumstances (like poor form), the plan is likely to go into the World Cup with Jitesh as the designated keeper–finisher.
Why Samson lost ground
At the core of the decision is the reshuffling of batting roles: with Shubman Gill returning to the squad’s top order, the need for a traditional top-order wicket-keeper-batter like Samson has diminished. For a keeper to bat in the middle or lower order, the logic is that a specialist finisher — one adept at handling the final overs — adds more value than someone accustomed to opening or batting higher up. According to former India wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta, this makes Jitesh a more suitable candidate in such a scenario.
Moreover, the team balance is also a factor. The inclusion of certain bowlers and all-rounders — requiring depth in both bowling and batting up to number eight — restricts the flexibility to hold onto traditional top-order keepers. This combination constraint means someone like Samson, who doesn’t neatly fit into a finisher’s profile, becomes harder to justify.
The broader implication for World Cup plans
With only a handful of matches remaining before the home T20 World Cup, the selectors are unlikely to tinker much more. The choice made for the first T20I suggests they’re determined to head into the tournament with a settled XI — and that XI seems to leave little room for Samson.
If things remain unchanged — with Jitesh as the keeper-finisher and the team composition favouring specialized roles — Samson may find himself on the outside looking in. As of now, his chances of reclaiming a spot appear increasingly slim, signalling that what was once viewed as a possibility may soon become a closed chapter.
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