“God forbid Team India has a bad day” - Former India cricketer’s huge remark on Sanju Samson ahead of IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 match

Former India cricketer Nikhil Chopra made a striking observation, stating that fans will only get to see the best of Sanju Samson if the Men in Blue find themselves in trouble. With Shubman Gill back in the T20I side as vice-captain, he was slotted as an opener alongside Abhishek Sharma in India’s Asia Cup 2025 game against the UAE.

This meant that Sanju Samson, who had been opening in the past 12 months, was moved to the middle order. Ahead of India’s clash against Pakistan, scheduled for Sunday, September 14 in Dubai, Chopra noted that the Kerala batter will need to adapt his game to his new position. He said [via NDTV]:

“To see the best of Sanju Samson, you’ll have to say, okay, god forbid Team India has a bad day. You’re two or three wickets down, and Sanju Samson then will get an opportunity to bat for maybe 35-40 deliveries that he gets in his quota. Otherwise, you’ll have to see a new Sanju Samson right from ball one, probably getting 10–12 deliveries. How many boundaries is he going to hit? So he’ll have to change his game by batting at that number.”

Chopra also spoke about Arshdeep Singh being left out of the UAE game, explaining that the presence of three quality spinners and Axar Patel’s batting ability were the main reasons for the left-arm pacer’s omission. He said:

“You’ve got three quality spinners, and somebody on their day will win the game on its head. If Axar is coming to bat at number eight, you’ve got the depth in batting as well. And most importantly, the 22-yard strip dictates the 11 that you’re looking to play. And I think that is why Arshdeep Singh is not getting an opportunity. I don’t see any changes.”

India currently tops Group A with two points from one game.

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“This looks very settled” - Nikhil Chopra on India’s playing XI

In the same interaction, Nikhil Chopra said that India has the likes of Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana in the mix, but noted that the presence of Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube alongside Jasprit Bumrah makes the current XI look very settled. He said:

“Good thing is we’ve got plenty of good bowlers who have been phenomenal. Arshdeep Singh has been brilliant, make no mistake about it, Harshit Rana has been bowling really well with some pace about him as well. But this 11 looks very settled. Jasprit Bumrah, then you’ve got maybe Hardik, Shivam Dube too, you know, just to bowl a couple of overs in the powerplay.”

On the eve of the game, Saturday, September 13, during a press conference, Men in Blue assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate also said that the team is unlikely to make any changes for the clash against Pakistan.