 "'Put him at number three': Shashi Tharoor unhappy with India breaking Samson-Abhishek opening pair to accommodate Gill")
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has raised questions over India’s batting order changes during the Asia Cup 2025, despite the team winning all seven of their games to lift the trophy. India defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets in the final on Sunday to secure their record 9th Asia Cup title.
Tharoor raised a few questions after the final and wondered if it was the right call to break up the opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, who had been doing well together before the tournament. The Indian team brought Shubman Gill back to the T20 squad and gave him the opener’s position along with vice-captaincy.
Tharoor questions Team India’s decisions
Tharoor pointed out that Samson, who scored three centuries during his time as an opener in the past year, was pushed to the middle order, where he looked less comfortable, while Gill was promoted to open with Abhishek. Tharoor suggested the team management to restore Samson’s place as an opener and put Gill at number three, with Suryakumar Yadav going down to five.
That said, it is fair to ask a few questions, without in any way detracting from our victory. Was it right to break up the hugely successful opening partnership of @abhisheksharm06 and @IamSanjuSamson, and relegate a three-time centurion to a middle slot where he was…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 29, 2025
Samson still outperformed Gill despite getting fewer chances in the Asia Cup. The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter scored 132 runs in four innings, compared to Gill’s 127 from seven matches. In the Super 4 clash against Bangladesh, Samson was pushed even further down the order, with Axar Patel batting ahead of him.
“I have been playing for India for 10 years. So, I can’t come in and say ‘I only can do the hero role.’ I need to be a villain. I need to be a joker. I need to play around. No one can say why I can’t be a good villain. Let’s see how it goes,” Samson said when asked about the change in his batting order in the Asia Cup.
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