Team India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has said that India wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson is adaptable and he can play at any position in the batting order. However, he spent most of the past 12 months opening the innings. With Shubman Gill returning to the team as vice-captain, he was paired with Abhishek Sharma as openers in India’s first game of the Asia Cup 2025 against the UAE, which India won by nine wickets as well.
However, Team India will next play against Pakistan on Sunday, September 14, in Dubai. Ahead of the game, on Friday, September 12, Sitanshu Kotak opined on Sanju’s role while speaking to the media. He shared that Sanju
can play at any number, and no middle-order slot is fixed yet, with everyone ready to bat wherever required.
“Sanju (Samson) hasn’t batted much at number five or six. But that doesn’t mean he can’t do it. I think Sanju is a good enough player to bat at any position. So, depending on the team’s requirements, the captain and head coach will decide, and he is more than happy to bat at any number,” he added.
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“If you look at our batting lineup, everyone is capable of finishing the match from any position. However, we do have four or five aggressive players, and depending on the situation, the head coach and captain decide where to send them. More or less, everyone is prepared to bat at any number. For example, Sanju may have batted at number five in the last match, but in the next match, he could be sent at any position. So, nothing is fixed. Everyone knows their role, and they will be ready according to the situation,” he further added.
During his media interaction, Sitanshu Kotak also commented on pacer Arshdeep Singh’s exclusion from Team India’s Asia Cup 2025 match against the UAE as well.
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“The team will be picked according to the wicket, and the best XI suitable for that wicket. Our first discussion with the head coach and captain is obviously about this. Out of the 15, everyone deserves to play, but we can only field 11. So, after looking at the wicket and the opposition, the best XI at that time will play,” he shared.
“At times, when a player is not playing, it will obviously be difficult for him because he will feel he is missing out. But at the end of the day, it’s a team and a team sport. Everyone knows there is no agenda, no personal liking or disliking. Whatever is best for the team, the captain and head coach will decide and do that. I don’t think there is any doubt in anybody’s mind about it. So, whoever is not playing is always trying to help the guys who are playing, and I think that’s how a team should function,” Sitanshu Kotak concluded.
