Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma had formed an incredibly potent opening combination for India in the immediate months after the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, the return of Shubman Gill to the squad has resulted in Samson being displaced from the opening slot and having to often adjust anywhere in the top order to the lower middle order, if he is picked. India captain Suryakumar Yadav acknowledged that Samson did extremely well at the top of the order but Gill was always first choice.

“In terms of Sanju, yes, when he came into the circuit, he batted higher up the order. Now, the thing is, other than the openers, I feel everyone has to be very flexible,” Suryakumar told reporters on the eve of India’s first T20I against South Africa .

He reiterated the point made a number of times by hea

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