Sport
The much-anticipated 1st T20I between India and South Africa is set to be played on Tuesday, December 9 at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, marking the start of a five-match series as part of Team India’s build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
With Shubman Gill returning as opener alongside Abhishek Sharma, the middle order is locked in around captain Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and all-rounders like Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube.
However, the wicketkeeper-batter spot remains a hotly contested one between Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma – both are in the 15-member squad, but only one can play. And, the debate is less about ability and more about team composition and the specific role required.
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Samson, who enjoyed a stellar 2024 calendar year as an opener-keeper before Shubman Gill’s return, has been shunted down the order. Jitesh Sharma, on the other hand, is increasingly seen as the team’s designated death-overs finisher.
Former India all-rounder Ravi Ashwin has added his perspective to the intense selection debate, highlighting the need for “role clarity” as the team fine-tunes its squad ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Sport Ravichandran Ashwin Weighs In On India’s Wicket-Keeper Conundrum
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has given his perspective to the intense selection debate, highlighting the need for “role clarity” as the team fine-tunes its squad ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The 39-year-old said that he is keen to see whether Samson would receive game time at number three in the five-match T20I series against South Africa.
“I want to see if India will give Samson a chance at three, or will they go with Suryakumar and Tilak at three and four. They tried to use Sanju here in Australia. The template had to be changed for Gill came in. Sanju was opening and giving that keeping option. Now that the opening batter and keeper has gone, you are having to accommodate a keeper and finisher down the order. I will be looking forward from India’s perspective, if we are giving role clarity to batters,” Ashwin said on ‘Ash ki Baat’.
“I am very keen to watch this T20 series. South Africa is one team that can match us in batting power. I also want to see if they can be real contenders going into the World Cup, looking at their bowling. I don’t see much bowling teeth. Whether they can match up to Kuldeep (Yadav), Varun (Chakaravarthy), and (Jasprit) Bumrah throughout the series will give us a fair idea. It is an important series for India as well, because they have to finalise their XI and batting positions and role clarities. We have experimented a lot. We will need some stability,” he added.
Sport Suryakumar Yadav Opens Up On Sanju Samson’s Batting Spot
On the eve of the first T20I in Cuttack, India captain Suryakumar Yadav said that although Sanju Samson had impressed as an opener in his chances, the position rightfully belonged to Shubman Gill once he returned to the squad.
“In terms of Sanju, yes, when he came into the circuit, he batted higher in the order. Other than the openers, I feel everyone has to be very flexible. He did really well when he opened the innings. But Shubman had played before him in the Sri Lanka series. So, he deserved to take that spot,” Suryakumar said.
IND vs SA T20I Squads
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc)*, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Marco Jansen, Quinton de Kock (wk), Donovan Ferreira (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Ottneil Baartman, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje.
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