The Gautam Gambir track! Sanju Samson sidelined while Jiteh Sharma advances for the Asia Cup

The Dubai ICC Academy saw a star Indian team, the reigning champions, obtaining a high quality practice. But Monday evening, all the eyes derived towards a quiet corner where Sanju Samson was seated alone, far from the middle of the last training session of India before the Asian Cup. He had arrived first, gloved upwards for caretaker’s exercises, even by drawing applause from the food coach T. Dilip after an acute diving. However, once the rotations of shot have started, Samson cut a lonely silhouette.

India leaves Sanju Samson alone

The Kerala striker, who struck three centuries in his last ten T20i rounds, was long overdue. He gathered with the shadow, padded and hovered around the nets, to be overlooked while Jiteh Sharma, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma and Hhelik Pandya took turns in the middle. Even during previous training sessions, Jiteh was preferred to the stick alongside natural starters.

Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav and Abhishek Sharma then followed, each given several stays. Samson finally struck only after everyone has finished, a bowler net nourishing him half a tracker which he deceived. For someone who tries to make their way in the XI, optics were difficult to ignore.

The signals were barely subtle. According to PTI, head coach Gautam Gambir had a brief but intense conversation with Samson during the support exercises. It was a revealing moment. Gambhir, who spoke brilliantly about Samson since he took care of the post of the T20 2024 World Cup, now seems ready to make a ruthless call. It was only Samson who revealed that Gambir had given him a rope of 21 ducks. However, Samson is likely to face an ax on someone like Jiteh Sharma, who played his last international match 20 months ago.

The case of Jiteh Sharma, meanwhile, has not become stronger. Its role as a lower order finishing, perfected with RCB during IPL 2025, is precisely what the balance of India requires. With Gill reintegrated as vice-captain and inked at the top, the management seems ready to promote the power of the middle of the overs during the elegance of an operator forced to fight out of position.

The XI of India seems almost decided: Gill and Abhishek at the top, Tilak and Suryakumar gathered the middle, Pandya and Jitesh providing the climb to the final. This leaves Samson, once again, as an unlucky passenger.

On Thursday, when India faces water in Dubai, reality could sink more deeply. For all Samson races in 2024, the team structure can have little room for him.