"Why should it be an injury that brings him in?" - Former India coach slams team management after Sanju Samson's cameo in IND vs SA 2025 5th T20I 

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri questioned how Sanju Samson returned to the playing XI only after Shubman Gill's injury ahead of the fifth T20I against South Africa. The wicket-keeper batter made the most of the opportunity by smashing 37 runs off 22 deliveries in the series finale at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, December 19.

Sanju Samson had to settle for a spot in the middle order after Shubman Gill's return to the T20I setup as vice-captain. After featuring in unfamiliar roles in the 2025 Asia Cup and the first half of the T20I series against Australia, he found himself out of the playing XI altogether.

There were relentless calls from fans and pundits to bring Sanju Samson back to the top of the order amid Shubman Gill's poor string of scores. The opportunity presented itself after the vice-captain suffered a foot injury in the nets, ruling him out of the business end of the five-match series against the Proteas.

After Sanju Samson unleashed a slew of impressive shots to get India off to a stellar start, Ravi Shastri questioned how the wicket-keeper was not part of the playing XI for the last six matches.

“When you see him batting like this, you sometimes think, why is he not in the side in the first place? Why should it be an injury that brings him in? He is just a natural for that position at the top of the order. [He has scored] three hundreds already in T20 cricket, two against South Africa back-to-back. He is explosive and dangerous,” Shastri said on air (via Hindustan Times).

Sanju Samson got the opportunity to bat as an opener for India for the first time since January 2025, during the home T20I series against England. The wicket-keeper had largely made the position his own after an impressive run post the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Sanju Samson smashed six boundaries in his fiery knock in IND vs SA 2025 5th T20I

The Kerala batter looked in fluent touch, recording a sublime six off Marco Jansen, showcasing his intention. He continued to deal in boundaries, taking on the South African pacers to help India post 67 runs in a dominant powerplay.

His free-flowing knock came to an end after he was castled by a peach of a delivery by left-arm spinner George Linde in the 10th over. However, the Men in Blue have made the most of the lavish platform by piling on the runs. At the time of writing, the score reads 189-3 in the 17th over, with Hardik Pandya eyeing a record fifty.

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Edited by Gokul Nair