IND v AUS 2020: Will Sanju Samson play today's first T20I?

With Team India all set to take on Australia in the first of the three T20Is at the Manuka Oval in Canberra today, one of the talking points is whether wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson merits a place in the playing XI.

KL Rahul's appointment as vice-captain of the Indian team means that he will slot in as the wicket-keeper as well, and it remains to see if Sanju Samson fits into the final XI as a pure batsman.

Analysing Sanju Samson’s chances of playing in the first T20I

While many are of the view that the talented Kerala wicket-keeper batsman must get a chance to represent India more often in the T20Is, the team combination might make it difficult for Sanju Samson to fit in.

As for the likely XI, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul are certain to open the batting in the first T20I. They were question marks over Dhawan’s position in the shortest format of the game prior to IPL 2020. However, an impressive run with the bat might have added some life to a faltering career.

The middle order will see skipper Virat Kohli slotting into the No.3 position, while the No.4 slot will be handed to either Shreyas Iyer or Manish Pandey. Despite his poor run in the ODIs against Australia, it will be too early to worry about Iyer’s place in the team, and hence he could keep his spot.

In the lower order, two slots will be occupied by the all-rounders. While Hardik Pandya is a certainty, there will be a toss-up between Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja for the other spot.

With quite a lot of options to pick from, Sanju Samson’s chances of featuring in the playing XI for the first T20I against Australia look bleak.

Sanju Samson’s recent form and Team India stats

Turning out for Rajasthan Royals, the talented but erratic Sanju Samson had a mixed run in IPL 2020. He began the season with a bang, hammering a couple of blistering fifties, but could not repeat the same performance in the later games.

Sanju Samson finished his IPL 2020 campaign with 375 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 158.89, and even notched up three half-centuries to his name.

Looking at his international career, Sanju Samson made his debut in July 2015, but has only played four games so far, scoring 35 runs at a strike rate of 97.22 with a highest of 19.

And with some big names in the Indian squad for this T20I series, it just seems like the Keralite might need to warm the benches for a little longer.

India’s likely playing XI for first T20I: Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul (wk), Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar/Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal