Sanju Samson included for India's 5th T20I against South Africa
Samson replaces Shubman Gill from the opening position
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Wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson has finally received the nod from the Gautam Gambhir-led coaching staff for India's 5th and series concluding T20I against South Africa. The final encounter of this all-format series takes place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Samson's previous T20I appearance came during the 2nd T20I against Australia, back in October 31. He was replaced by vice-captain Shubman Gill, whose position in the T20 team has come under scrutiny following a string of poor performances.
In his last 15 T20Is, Gill has been able to amass only 291 runs at a strike rate of less than 140. He had remained out from the team in this format for over an year before making a surprise entry as an opener during the 2025 Asia Cup in September.
The ODI and Test captain was backed by the management to open against South Africa, but he mustered only 32 runs from the first three matches. To make matters worse, he sustained a right foot injury 3 days ago and has been ruled out for the 5th T20I.
Perfect Opportunity For Sanju Samson To Cause Impact
Shubman Gill's exclusion prompted the selection of Sanju Samson, who had scored just 2 runs in his previous T20I outing against Australia. After returning from the land down under, Samson relentlessly featured in domestic cricket.
He played a total of 6 Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy matches this season for Kerala and scored an impressive 233 runs, including 2 half-centuries and a best of 73* against Andhra Pradesh.
One thing about Sanju Samson has always been the fact that he is willing to put in the hard work and find ways back to return to the Indian team. He didn't let the 2-month gap affect his stride and that must have come under the notice of the Indian selectors and coaching staff.
Now that he has got an opportunity in the 5th T20I, Samson will be aiming to make the most out of it and throw his hat for the upcoming 5-match series against New Zealand as well as the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Indian Selection Committee To Announce T20 World Cup Squad On Saturday
The Senior Men’s Selection Committee will meet at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday, December 20 to announce India’s squad for the upcoming 5-match T20I series against New Zealand and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in February-March on home soil.
