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Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has opened up on Shubman Gill being appointed as the new vice-captain of the Indian T20I team for the forthcoming Asia Cup 2025 campaign.
With Gill being elevated as the deputy to Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson might be asked to bat down the order, or he is likely to be dropped from the XI to accommodate Gill in the playing XI. However, Chopra felt that Samson should bat in the top order to yield a good result from him.
“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.
Furthermore, the former Indian batter also felt that the RCB keeper-batter Jitesh Sharma, who had a decent IPL 2025 season, should also get his chances in the playing XI in the middle-order as a finisher in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 season.
“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.
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