Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa has urged Sanju Samson to grab his opportunity as a finisher in T20Is in the ongoing Asia Cup. India’s vice-captain Shubman Gill has been opening the innings with Abhishek Sharma and Samson has been demoted to the middle order in the continental tournament.
Samson is yet to bat in the Asia Cup, but he has been backed ahead of Jitesh Sharma. Before the Asia Cup, the Kerala batter had scored three T20I centuries in the last 12 matches but he could only manage 51 runs in five games against England in 2025 as he was troubled by short-pitched deliveries.
Samson was in fine form in the ongoing Kerala Cricket League as he has scored 368 runs in five innings at an average of 73.60 and a strike rate of 186.80 while leading Kochi Blue Tigers. The right-hander has better numbers in the top order but he would now need to deliver as a finisher.
Robin Uthappa said on his YouTube Channel, “It feels like the India team is operating from a place of there is no batting order for anybody. It’s going to be purely left-right combination driven. Axar’s role will become a pure finisher role along with Hardik, given Dube and Samson’s prowess in the middle overs against spin. And Sanju, if he wants to play in this team for a long time, then he has to switch into the finisher role as well.”
“Right now, his competition in the team is Jitesh Sharma, who is also a class act with the bat when he finishes. Yes, he throws his bat around a lot but he does pull off some incredible things. So if Sanju wants to do a favor for himself and his career, he should focus primarily on finishing the innings and batting at the death.”
Uthappa highlighted that Samson should practice as a finisher and he should aim to score at a strike rate of more than 200.
“So start with spin thinking you’re going to be playing 18 deliveries in a game ( final six overs). That’ll be around six to eight balls of spin and the rest fast bowlers. In 18 balls, can you get a 45? That should be the best case scenario. Day in and day out that’s what he should be practicing. This will help you get into the headspace of a finisher. So first you get familiar with the role and then refine it as you go along,” he stated.
India will next take on Oman at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Friday.
