Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player Robin Uthappa recently described Team India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson as a player unlucky with his selection chances in recent years. Samson has been left out of several high-stakes limited-overs series in recent months, with the latest snub coming during selection for the T20I vs South Africa.
Fans expected Samson to feature prominently in India’s lineup for the Mullanpur encounter, but he was left out entirely, much to the Uthappa’s dismay.
Uthappa Faults Disruptions to Working Sharma-Samson Pair
The former teammate of current Team India coach Gautam Gambhir also poked holes in the decision to rotate the working Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson pairing. Both cricketers delivered remarkable contributions as a duo, but the management decided to break up this partnership to accommodate T20I vice-captain Shubman Gill.
Uthappa was clearly displeased by this decision:
“I beg the question: what did the partnership of Abhishek and Samson do so grossly wrong that it had to be replaced? I understand Surya in the pre-series conference where he said Shubman has actually been in the T20I squad before Sanju got his chance. But when Sanju did get his opportunity, he got three tons. He was the first guy among the youngsters to get hundreds in T20 cricket,” he said.
Uthappa Alleges Lack of Opportunities Behind Samson Being Dropped from T20I Lineup
Uthappa believes Samson has proven himself in previous Team India matches to earn a pairing slot with Abhishek Sharma. However, the former KKR player claims a dearth of opportunities continues to plague CSK’s new wicketkeeper on the international front:
“So, you have a proven opener, who’s averaging just below Abhishek Sharma at this point, and you decided to move him to the middle order and then slowly leave him out. What wrong has he done is my question. He deserves to have that opportunity,” Uthappa added.
Sanju Samson’s IPL Performance Clearly Not Enough to Hold Down Team India Place
Samson is one of few T20 cricketers to register over 4,000 runs as a wicketkeeper in IPL history. The star batsman has been on a steady rise in performance for over a decade; however, Samson’s consistency is clearly not enough to feature as a regular in Suryakumar Yadav’s squad.
India vs South Africa 2025 T20I Schedule and Results
| Date | Match | Venue | India | South Africa | Result |
| Dec 9 | 1st T20I | Barabati Stadium, Cuttack | 175/6 (20 ov) | 74 (12.3 ov) | India won by 101 runs |
| Dec 11 | 2nd T20I | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Intl Stadium, Mullanpur (New Chandigarh) | 162 (19.1 ov) | 213/4 (20 ov) | South Africa won by 51 runs |
| Dec 14 | 3rd T20I | HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala | 120/3 (15.5 ov) | 117 (20 ov) | India won by 7 wickets |
| Dec 17 | 4th T20I | Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow | — | — | Match abandoned (excessive fog) |
| Dec 19 | 5th T20I | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | 231/5 (20 ov) | 201/8 (20 ov) | India won by 30 runs |
Team India Squad vs South Africa for 2025 T20I Series
| Batters | ||
| Player | Batting Hand | Bowling Type / Role |
| Suryakumar Yadav (C) | Right-hand bat | Part-time off-spin |
| Shubman Gill | Right-hand bat | |
| Tilak Varma | Left-hand bat | Part-time off-spin |
| All-Rounders | ||
| Player | Batting Hand | Bowling Type / Role |
| Abhishek Sharma | Left-hand bat | Slow left-arm orthodox spin |
| Hardik Pandya | Right-hand bat | Right-arm medium-fast pace |
| Shivam Dube | Left-hand bat | Right-arm medium pace |
| Axar Patel | Left-hand bat | Slow left-arm orthodox spin |
| Washington Sundar | Right-hand bat | Right-arm off-spin |
| Shahbaz Ahmed | Left-hand bat | Slow left-arm orthodox spin |
| Wicketkeepers | ||
| Player | Batting Hand | Bowling Type / Role |
| Jitesh Sharma | Right-hand bat | Wicket-keeper |
| Sanju Samson | Right-hand bat | Wicket-keeper, part-time off-spin |
| Bowlers | ||
| Player | Batting Hand | Bowling Type / Role |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Right-hand bat | Right-arm fast pace |
| Varun Chakaravarthy | Right-hand bat | Mystery right-arm leg-spin |
| Arshdeep Singh | Left-hand bat | Left-arm medium-fast pace |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Left-hand bat | Left-arm wrist-spin |
| Harshit Rana | Right-hand bat | Right-arm fast-medium pace |
South Africa Squad for 2025 T20I Tour of India
| Batters | ||
| Player | Batting Hand | Bowling Type / Role |
| Aiden Markram (C) | Right-hand bat | Part-time off-spin |
| Dewald Brevis | Right-hand bat | Part-time leg-spin |
| Tony de Zorzi | Left-hand bat | |
| Reeza Hendricks | Right-hand bat | |
| David Miller | Left-hand bat | |
| All-rounders | ||
| Player | Batting Hand | Bowling Type / Role |
| George Linde | Left-hand bat | Slow left-arm orthodox spin |
| Corbin Bosch | Right-hand bat | Right-arm medium-fast seam |
| Marco Jansen | Left-hand bat | Left-arm fast-medium pace |
| Wicketkeepers | ||
| Player | Batting Hand | Bowling Type / Role |
| Quinton de Kock | Left-hand bat | Wicket-keeper |
| Donovan Ferreira | Right-hand bat | Wicket-keeper |
| Tristan Stubbs | Right-hand bat | Wicket-keeper, part-time off-spin |
| Bowlers | ||
| Player | Batting Hand | Bowling Type / Role |
| Ottneil Baartman | Right-hand bat | Right-arm medium-fast seam |
| Keshav Maharaj | Left-hand bat | Slow left-arm orthodox spin |
| Kwena Maphaka | Left-hand bat | Left-arm fast pace |
| Lungi Ngidi | Right-hand bat | Right-arm medium-fast seam |
| Anrich Nortje | Right-hand bat | Right-arm fast pace |
| Lutho Sipamla | Right-hand bat | Right-arm medium-fast seam |
