A debate over India’s T20I opening plans has gathered momentum after Shubman Gill’s golden duck in the second match against South Africa in Mullanpur, renewing scrutiny of the recent reshuffle that pushed Sanju Samson out of the role. The conversation has intensified because the change arrived only months before the 2026 T20 World Cup, despite Samson’s surge in form through the second half of 2024.
Gill reclaimed an opening slot during the 2025 Asia Cup after more than a year away from the format, stepping in as vice-captain. Since then, he has yet to deliver a significant score in the powerplay. His return has coincided with a difficult run, which includes 17 straight innings without crossing fifty, the longest such drought for an Indian batter in T20Is. The struggles have reignited questions about why a functioning opening combination, Samson and Abhishek Sharma, was unsettled despite strong recent output.
Samson clicked at top order but Gill’s return forced change in combination
Samson had been among India’s standout performers after the 2024 T20 World Cup, striking three hundreds across a five-innings stretch against Bangladesh and South Africa. Those efforts made him the first man to reach three T20I centuries in a single calendar year, and his success appeared to stabilise India’s top order before his removal. Robin Uthappa, watching the shift unfold, has challenged the logic behind the management’s call.
“Suryakumar [Yadav] said Gill opened the batting before Sanju Samson got the opportunity to open. But once you have him the opportunity, he has got three hundreds in that and has done really well. He’s averaging the second or third highest after Abhishek Sharma. He must be thinking what wrong have I done to not find a spot? Is that communication alive with Sanju Samson, where they’ve said, ‘We are going to try Shubman out for a few games, if it doesn’t work out, you jump straight back in’,” Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
Gill, being the vice-captain of the side, is expected to get more opportunities before the team management decides to bring back Samson, or give opportunities to other cricketers such as Yashasvi Jaiswal or Ruturaj Gaikwad.