"He deserves it.." Suryakumar Yadav reveals why Shubman Gill replaced Sanju Samson as T20I opener

Shubman Gill replaced Sanju Samson as India’s T20I opener from the T20I Asia Cup earlier this year.

Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has spoken about why the Indian team management opted to replace in-form Sanju Samson with Shubman Gill as opener in the shortest format of the game. His words came ahead of the five-match T20I series against South Africa that begins on December 9 in Cuttack.

Before playing at home in the ICC T20 World Cup the following year, the Men in Blue will play 10 games. Captain Suryakumar Yadav told the media on Monday ahead of the series opener against the Proteas that the management is not in the mood to make many changes to the playing combinations.

One of the most highlighted things was Shubman Gill being named T20I team vice-captain, and he was slotted in the opening position. This displaced Sanju Samson to the No. 5 spot, despite the keeper-batter having scored three centuries at top of the order in T20Is in 2024 and being one of the best batters.

‘Sanju Samson’s batting position is flexible.’ – Suryakumar Yadav ahead of the first T20I against South Africa

Shubman Gill is likely to partner boyhood friend Abhishek Sharma at the top, with the skipper slotting in at No. 3. Suryakumar confirmed that no substantial changes are anticipated; therefore, the batting order is expected to remain similar.

“We don’t want to change too much in terms of combinations. The focus is simply on the type of cricket we want to play; apart from that, there’s nothing major we want to alter,” Suryakumar said at the pre-match press conference.

Suryakumar also addressed Sanju Samson’s move in position as a wicket-keeper batter. Until last year, Samson batted at the top of the order alongside Abhishek and had good outcomes. However, Gill’s inclusion pushed him up to fifth place.

“Sanju is a batter who can play higher up the order. He has done well as an opener. Shubman played ahead of Sanju because he deserved that spot, but we still ensured Sanju got opportunities. Apart from the openers, everyone else needs to be flexible. They must adapt. Both of them are very much in our plans—both can perform multiple roles. It’s an asset for the team and a good headache to have,” he added.

India will have 10 T20Is to play before ICC T20 World Cup 2026 at home, five against South Africa and five against New Zealand, before the ICC event at home in February and March 2026.

“We have to play 10 T20 games against two quality oppositions before the World Cup, so the immediate focus is on those matches. As we get closer to the tournament, we’ll gradually shift our focus fully to the T20 World Cup,” he said.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.