Did Sanju Samson’s Ahmedabad innings cost Shubman Gill his T20I spot?

Dubai: India’s vice-captain Shubman Gill missed the final T20I against South Africa in Ahmedabad due to a toe injury. His absence opened the door for Sanju Samson to return to the top of the order alongside Abhishek Sharma, and the wicketkeeper-batter made the most of the opportunity. Samson scored a brisk 37 off 22 balls and added a vital 63-run opening partnership, giving India a strong start.

However, the question arose whether this knock played a role in Gill potentially losing his place in the squad for next year’s World Cup. Since returning to the side during the Asia Cup as vice-captain, following an impressive England Test tour, Gill has struggled to translate his red-ball form into T20Is. He managed 291 runs in 15 matches at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of just over 137, without registering a single fifty and with a highest score of 47.

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes Samson’s innings in Ahmedabad had little to no impact on the selection decision. According to Ashwin, Samson’s elevation over Gill was already inevitable, and the knock itself did not influence the selectors.

“I thought that innings was irrelevant,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Ash ki Baat. “I had mentioned earlier that the combination was going to change. Given the way things were progressing, this outcome felt like a formality.”

Ashwin further explained that once Gill was ruled out injured for the final two T20Is, Samson’s place in the World Cup plans became clear. “When it was revealed that Shubman was injured, it was obvious Sanju would be part of the World Cup. There’s no rocket science to it — I’ve been around Indian cricket for 15 years and seen how these things work,” he added.

Samson’s ability to provide explosive starts at the top of the order has been cited as the key reason behind the preference, something he underlined once again with his quickfire 37 off 22 balls in the series decider in Ahmedabad.