Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma will most likely lock horns to secure one spot in the playing XI for IND vs BAN T20Is. Both keeper-batters have been named in the squad for the three-match T20I series that begins on October 6. In the absence of first-choice keeper Rishabh Pant, both Samson & Jurel will be aiming to leave their mark in the series against the Tigers, but with just limited opportunities in hand.
Sanju Samson’s tryst with the bench
Kerala batter Sanju Samson’s love story with the bench is not something new. In fact, he has been more on the bench than on the field despite being a part of the squad on numerous occasions. With that being said, it is pertinent to point out that Samson being benched is partly due to his luck (availability of better keeper-batters, team combination) and mainly due to his inconsistency with the bat. We have often seen Sanju squandering opportunities in the past, instances that outweigh the fury of the fans every time he has been benched.
Talking about Samson’s recent form, the keeper-batter played his last T20I against Sri Lanka earlier in July. While he made his debut for the Men in Blue as early as 2015, he has only played 44 matches so far. Despite being picked in the squad for the T20 World Cup 2024, Samson warmed the bench throughout the tournament. This after coming off a stellar IPL season where he sizzled with the bat. Once again, that is another issue that boggles Samson – performing in the IPL only to flop on the rest of the occasions in international matches. There will be no surprise if Sanju is benched for a part of the series against Bangladesh, for that remains a familiar territory for him, unless India decide to go with a unique playing combination of playing both their keepers in the squad.
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Jitesh Sharma – a young star on the rise
Jitesh Sharma’s rise to fame has been slow and much delayed. The young keeper-batter made his debut at the Asian Games in 2023 and has only played 9 T20Is so far. Buthis inexperience hasn’t stopped him showing promising signs of what a great talent he could turn out to be for the Men in Blue. Once again, like Samson, Sharma is also a victim of the waiting game, given the long line of keepers who are in fray for a spot in the Indian team. And once again, like his Kerala counterpart, he has just one or two series under his belt to prove his mettle and keep himself in contention for the keeper spot in the shortest format of the game.
When it comes to Jitesh’s T20I career, he has played just 9 matches and has amassed 100 runs so far. His T20 career however boasts of better numbers, with 2490 runs from 120 matches to date. The PBKS keeper-batter has been in contention for a keeper’s spot for nearly a couple of years now, showing some promising performances in the IPL as well. Should the team management prefer experimentation over experience, Jitesh Sharma is sure to get a nod over Samson in the playing XI for IND vs BAN T20Is.
Sanju Samson vs Jitesh Sharma – stat battle
| Name | Matches (INT) | Runs (INT) | Runs (IPL) | Runs (T20s) |
| Sanju Samson | 30 | 444 | 4419 | 6791 |
| Jitesh Sharma | 9 | 100 | 730 | 2490 |
India squad for IND vs BAN T20Is
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, JItesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav
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