Why Jitesh Sharma could win ‘wicketkeeper battle’ against Sanju Samson for IND vs SA 1st T20I

3 hours ago 21

Sanju Samson will most likely continue to warm the bench in the India vs South Africa 1st T20I. The 31-year-old was dropped in Australia, and that’ll continue to be the case.

For no fault of his, Samson was demoted from the opening spot to the middle order. Earlier today, India captain Suryakumar Yadav explained the decision to sideline Samson as an opener and replace him with Shubman Gill.

Samson had excellent results while batting alongside Abhishek Sharma. That’s why the management continued to back him. He played the entire 2025 Asia Cup, batting from number three to eight. But with the middle order already loaded, the move just wasn’t working.

Finisher Jitesh Sharma need of the hour

Accommodating Samson, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel in the same XI just wasn’t possible. Three of them were all-rounders, and Tilak has been one of the most dependable players in the last 18 months. With Hardik’s diminishing returns as a death overs hitter and the absence of Rinku Singh, you needed a finisher. That’s why he was dropped for Jitesh Sharma in Australia.

“I would like to see who plays the role of a finisher with Hardik Pandya and how they do it. This is a very big aspect. If we have to defend the World Cup, which is in India, it is crucial that our lower-middle order batters stay in form. Along with Hardik, the other batters become very important. Axar Patel can do that; Jitesh Sharma is there. But we have to see who will complement Hardik down the order. My eyes will be on that,” Irfan Pathan said while speaking on JioStar’s ‘Follow the Blues’.

Jitesh may not be the best finisher in the world, but he’s one of the handful who happen to be a wicketkeeper. With just 10 matches left before the 2026 T20 World Cup begins, India has to sort out the few issues it has. The top and middle order are firing; the bowlers are set, but they need a finisher who can keep the wickets. At the moment, Jitesh is the only option available.

Although Hardik’s still one of India’s best hitters at the backend, Jitesh showed a new version of himself in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). In 8 innings, the keeper scored 115 runs at 28.75 while striking at 188.52.

There’s little doubt over Samson being the more talented, versatile batter out of the two, but India already has players who perform the same role. Jitesh, despite his limitations, plugs one of the gaping holes. Therefore, he’s expected to get the nod over Samson.