BCCI sees Shubman Gill on same level as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli; Sanju Samson’s India future in dark

After another snub from the Indian playing XI for wicket-keeper and former opener Sanju Samson, a former South African legend has claimed that Shubman Gill's rise to the top spot in the T20I XI gives him an elevated status like that of Indian legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

India have begun their T20 World Cup preparations and have made some changes to the team. Just ahead of the Asia Cup, Shubman Gill was brought back into the squad and was also named the vice-captain, which suggested that he would now be seen as a permanent figure in the shorter format.

Sanju Samson, who used to open the innings for India until then and extended a promising record with three hundreds in a calendar year, one against Bangladesh and two more against South Africa, was neglected and dropped back into the Indian batting order. However, it never seemed that the batter was best suited for the middle-order roles.

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Sanju Samson was dropped in four consecutive T20I matches

The Indian opener was picked for the Australia tour despite his limited success in the middle order in the Asia Cup. The former opener played the first game in Australia, but was eventually replaced from the third game.

India brought in Jitesh Sharma in the middle order and replaced Sanju Samson. Sharma has been an ideal finisher in this format of the game, proving it over and over again for RCB, India A, and now in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as well.

After the Australia series, Sanju was snubbed from the opening game of the South Africa T20I series in Cuttack as well. The batter sat along the bench as Jitesh was drafted into the XI. However, Sharma came in to bat at no. 8 and helped India with a 5-ball 10-run inning.

"I think he is almost being elevated to the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli,” Shaun Pollock said about Shubman Gill

Though mostly Sanju Samson has been praised in the T20I context, this time the former South African captain has woven a different side of the story. According to Shaun Pollock, Shubman Gill has now been elevated to the level of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Indian team.

“Yes, Sanju got a raw deal… I suppose you kind of need to look at Shubman Gill from a different perspective now. I think he is almost being elevated to the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli,” Pollock told Cricbuzz.

He further drew comparisons between the two Indian veterans and Shubman Gill and said that just like Rohit and Virat returned to the ODI team and were offered their spots, so was Shubman Gill in the T20I setup. However, it remains to be mentioned that neither Rohit nor Virat was ever snubbed from the ODI lineup.

He further heaped praises on the Indian Test captain and claimed, "I think what he’s shown, even in that Test series in England, is that he’s the number one, isn’t he, batting-wise?… It’s just team dynamics. When Shubman comes back… I think he’s the best player, so he goes to the top.”

Former IPL team director presented a blunt view on Sanju Samson's selection

Shaun Pollock went on to add about the chemistry and partnership between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. The two have been friends since their U-19 times and are well adapted to each other's games. They can regulate scoring between them and can "bounce off each other nicely.”

Former KKR director Joy Bhattacharya recently provided a rather blunt opinion of Sanju Samson's selection in the Indian team. He opined that if Sanju Samson cannot be promoted to open the innings and that spot has been finalized for Shubman Gill, then there is no point in keeping him in the team. Because under such circumstances, the keeper has to be a finisher.

He suggested India instead pick another finisher-keeper like Rishabh Pant. “There’s no point… rather than have Sanju batting out of position.” It has also been noted that Samson is not a very effective option in the middle order.

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