Former India great defends Sanju Samson, takes a dig at Gautam Gambhir

Former India captain Kris Srikkanth has reignited his criticism of Gautam Gambhir with a sharp dose of sarcasm, coming out in strong defense of Sanju Samson. Weeks after Gambhir cautioned him against targeting players or questioning selection decisions, Srikkanth took aim at what he sees as unfair treatment of the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter.

Despite Samson’s stellar form since July 2024 including three T20I centuries as an opener. his role was abruptly changed during the Asia Cup in the UAE. He was replaced at the top of the order by returning opener Shubman Gill and shuffled down the batting lineup, featuring at No. 5 in three matches and not batting at all in one, even as India lost six wickets.

An exasperated Srikkanth labeled Samson “the most unlucky” player in the squad, criticizing the constant changes to his batting position.

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“The guy who's most unlucky is Sanju Samson. He was scoring centuries as an opener. But now they send him everywhere — from No. 3 to No. 8. If given an opportunity, they may send him at No. 11 also! A person like Sanju will naturally feel bad after doing so well at the top, but he has no option but to be tight-lipped and bat wherever the team asks him to,” Srikkanth remarked on his YouTube channel.

However, Srikkanth found a silver lining in Samson’s solid showing at No. 5 during the Asia Cup, suggesting it strengthens his case for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

“The only good thing is he did well at No. 5 in the Asia Cup. It’s a good sign because Sanju is now the automatic choice as the first wicketkeeper for the T20 World Cup,” he added.