"Three is Suryakumar Yadav’s position" – Former India cricketer’s blunt assessment on Sanju Samson’s spot after IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash

Former opener Aakash Chopra believes that it’s almost impossible for Sanju Samson to return to the top three with Shubman Gill’s return as India’s vice-captain at the Asia Cup 2025. The cricketer-turned-analyst said Samson batted and scored a fifty while batting at No. 3 against Oman, but the original spot belongs to skipper Suryakumar Yadav.

He added that Samson wouldn’t even have batted at No. 5 if he hadn’t scored a half-century in the previous game. The statement came after Samson managed just 13 runs off 17 balls against the Men in Green.

Aakash Chopra told ESPNcricinfo in the post-match show:

“No, he can’t be batting at three. Three is Suryakumar Yadav’s position. I think it was the day India announced the team with Shubman Gill as the vice-captain of the side… With Shubman Gill’s bat and the position and the designation, you’ve written Sanju Samson’s destiny that he’s no longer your 1,2,3 batter where he’s likely to score most of the runs.”

He continued:

“He got to bat only because, let me just also say this, if he hadn’t scored the runs in the previous game, he wouldn’t have even batted at the number he batted today. Hardik Pandya would’ve come in place of him, and then Shivam Dube, and then Sanju Samson. That position is natural to him, and you’re playing against Pakistan. Of course, this time you were chasing run-a-ball, it was slightly higher."

"I mean, say, 20 balls 35 runs, or 31 runs, then you would have sent, and then he would have sent Shivam Dube because those are the two guys who are likely to hit sixes against whoever Pakistan is going to throw at them. So, Sanju is not going to bat three. I mean, it may have happened against Oman, but that is the only time he was supposed to bat there,” Chopra added.

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“It requires a bit more patience” – Aakash Chopra wants India to give Sanju Samson a longer rope in T20Is

Aakash Chopra further urged the Indian team management and selectors to give Sanju Samson a longer rope in T20Is. The 48-year-old stressed that the wicketkeeper-batter delivers his best while playing in the top three positions, especially as an opener. He also advised Samson to gain the skills needed to become a finisher with all the top three spots locked.

The former cricketer said in the same video:

“(The wicketkeeper-batter has to be a middle-order player) That’s what it looks like in this team. I mean, see ideally, if you have Sanju in the team, and whenever you pick a team, you also need to make sure that you get the best out of everyone. So, Sanju Samson’s best position is as an opener."

"The second best is at No. 3, and anything else is going to put him under immense pressure. And that’s not how this team was picked… So, Sanju’s destiny is unfortunately not… it requires a bit more patience, it requires a slightly longer rope, and [for] Sanju to also develop the skills to finish because that’s where he is required to bat,” he added.

Interestingly, Sanju Samson slammed three T20I tons as an opener in the last calendar year. The Kerala-born batter, however, flopped with the bat against England in five T20Is at home, managing 51 runs in five innings. As a result, India recalled Shubman Gill for T20Is after a year-long hiatus.