Sanju Samson or Jitesh Sharma - who should India pick as wicket-keeper in Afghanistan T20Is? 

India are set to play three T20Is against Afghanistan in what is their final international T20 assignment before the T20 World Cup to be played in June later this year. With big names like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli back in the T20I team, there has been a lot of talk about how India's batting line-up could shape up in the shortest format.

Another interesting question that has popped up is that in Ishan Kishan's absence from the squad, who between Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson will the Men in Blue trust with the gloves?

Just like Dinesh Karthik during the 2022 T20 World Cup, India might need a wicketkeeper who can finish the innings and this series could make it clear who between the aforementioned duo is ahead in the pecking order.

On that note, let's take a look at some key factors to try and answer the Jitesh Sharma vs Sanju Samson debate:

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Recent form

Sanju Samson wasn't in India's T20I plans for quite a while, but he smashed a sensational hundred in the ODI format against South Africa at Paarl. It was also his first international hundred and one that many in the cricket fraternity feel could turn his fortunes around.

Jitesh Sharma, on the other hand, did have an impressive cameo against Australia in Raipur. However, he did miss out on a couple of great opportunities against Australia in Bengaluru and then against South Africa to get another impactful knock under his belt.

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T20I record

In terms of the shortest format, Sanju Samson has always been a player who has promised a lot but hasn't quite delivered to the level expected. He has been in and out of the Indian T20I setup and was backed even before the likes of Suryakumar Yadav made their debut.

Samson did play the finisher's role in the West Indies last year but wasn't quite successful. He has averaged just 19.68 in 24 T20Is at a strike rate of 133.57.

Jitesh Sharma has emerged as one of the best finishers in the country, thanks to his consistent performances in domestic T20 cricket as well as in the IPL for the Punjab Kings. The career T20 strike rate of almost 150 speaks volumes about the impact he has had.

While he has scored just 69 runs in seven T20Is so far, Jitesh has managed to score them at a strike rate of 150. His ability to go hard from ball one could be just what the Men in Blue need if they are looking for a No. 6 who can keep wickets.

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Final verdict

Jitesh Sharma hasn't really got a long run of games and has had to wait for a long time to get game time after making his debut in the Asian Games. While the volume of runs hasn't been as much as it could have, Jitesh has shown signs of fearlessness, something the Men in Blue would want in their T20I team.

Sanju Samson is a classy batter, but more suited to the top order. He also bats in the top four for his IPL side Rajasthan Royals, hence asking him to be consistent as a finisher could be a bit tricky.

With the way the current squad is picked against Afghanistan, the wicketkeeper would likely need to bat in the lower middle-order after the likes of Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh. This makes Jitesh a better prospect to begin with, ahead of Samson.

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Who do you think should start as India's wicketkeeper in the Afghanistan T20Is? Let us know in the comments.