Ryan ten Doeschate Advocates for Sanju Samson's Role Adjustment in Asia Cup

Ryan ten Doeschate Supports Sanju Samson's Transition

Dubai [UAE], September 23: Ryan ten Doeschate, the assistant coach for India, has expressed his support for Sanju Samson, a seasoned opener, to adapt to the number five batting position. The Dutch coach believes that Samson is the ideal candidate for this role as India prepares for their Super Fours match against Bangladesh in the ongoing Asia Cup in Dubai on Wednesday.

With Shubman Gill returning to the T20I squad as vice-captain, Samson had to adjust his position in the batting lineup. Captain Suryakumar Yadav occupies the number three slot, while Tilak Verma is positioned at number four, leaving the fifth spot available for Samson.

In his new role during the Super Fours match against Pakistan, Samson struggled to score, finishing with a modest 13 runs off 17 balls. Across six innings, the 30-year-old has accumulated 75 runs at an average of 18.75, with a strike rate of 117.18, and his highest score being 30. Despite this lackluster performance, Doeschate remains optimistic about Samson's ability to excel.

“He has had two opportunities now, and he’s still adjusting to this role. The pitch was a bit challenging during the Pakistan game. However, with Shubman and Abhi performing well at the top, and with our captain batting at three, along with Tilak's performance, we are in need of a strong number five. We firmly believe Sanju is the right choice for this position, and we are confident he will adapt successfully,” Doeschate stated during a pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

India has maintained the same playing XI in three out of four matches, making changes only in the final group-stage game against Oman. Varun Chakravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah were replaced by Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana after India secured a spot in the Super Fours. It seems unlikely that India will confirm its place in the final even with a victory against Bangladesh, and the return of wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma and finisher Rinku Singh to the tournament appears improbable.

“We attempted to give some players time in Abu Dhabi, but we also need to manage our strategy for significant competitions like the Asian Cup. Therefore, it’s challenging to consider players like Jitesh or Rinku getting a game in our current situation,” he added.

“The team is performing excellently in training, and we should realistically view bilateral series as opportunities for players to showcase their skills and adaptability. However, given the format of this competition, winning two out of four games does not guarantee progression. Thus, we cannot afford to ease up at any point, which has been a challenging aspect of our strategy to experiment with different player positions,” he concluded.

India's squad for the Asia Cup includes: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, and Rinku Singh.