Sanju Samson or Jitesh Sharma – who will India go with behind the stumps at the Asia Cup?

Sanju Samson or Jitesh Sharma – who will India go with behind the stumps at the Asia Cup (PTI Photos)

Between October 12 and November 15, 2024, Sanju Samson smashed three T20I centuries in five games, all at exceptional strike-rates of around 200 or more. His stop-start international career finally seemed to be taking off. But with Samson, the career graph has always been a rollercoaster, and he followed those hundreds against Bangladesh and South Africa (two) with just 51 runs in five knocks against England.

Even then, with Rishabh Pant not in the fray for the time being, Samson was the clear favourite to take the wicketkeeping gloves for the Asia Cup in the UAE, especially after forming such a potent opening combination with Abhishek Sharma. But by selecting Shubman Gill in that squad, and making him vice-captain, the selectors have once again hinted that Samson’s inconsistency makes it hard to trust him.

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This is someone whose audacious strokeplay has been praised by the game’s greats for years. Yet, in 13 IPL seasons – 11 with Rajasthan Royals (RR) and two with Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) – Samson has gone past 500 runs just once, in 2024. That campaign, where his 531 runs came at a strike-rate of 153.46, was easily the best of his career. But come an injury-hit 2025 season, Samson could manage just 285 runs in nine matches as RR limped out of play-off contention.

With Gill now almost certain to partner Abhishek at the top of the order, and Tilak Varma doing a stellar job at No. 3, Samson may even struggle for game time in the Asia Cup. That’s because of the emergence of a late developer who turns 32 in October.

Jitesh Sharma’s first stint with the Indian team, in 2023-24, was a disaster, with just 100 runs in seven innings. But since swapping the Punjab Kings jersey for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) one before the 2025 season, he has been a player transformed. RCB used him as a finisher and he did the job with aplomb, thumping 261 runs at a strike-rate of 176.35.

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His unbeaten 33-ball 85 as Lucknow Super Giants were beaten in the final match of the league phase was one of the knocks of the IPL, and he followed up with an impactful 10-ball 24 in the final as RCB lifted the trophy for the first time. Jitesh struck 17 sixes and 24 fours from just 148 balls, and there is every chance that India could play him in that slog-overs blaster role in order to accommodate Gill, Abhishek and Tilak in the top 3.

The large shadow of Pant looms over both Samson and Jitesh, and with a home World Cup just months away, the Asia Cup could be the start of a shootout to see who gets the second wicketkeeper’s spot in that squad.