Aakash Chopra believes Jitesh Sharma deserves a place in India’s Asia Cup XI ahead of Sanju Samson because of his stronger middle-order record.
With the Asia Cup beginning on September 9 in the UAE, India faces a key decision in selecting their wicketkeeper-batter. The squad includes Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma. Samson impressed as an opener last year with three T20I hundreds but has struggled in the middle order. Jitesh, meanwhile, has established himself as a reliable finisher. He played nine T20Is for India and recently took Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 title win with 261 runs at a strike rate of 176.
Former opener Aakash Chopra has vouched for Jitesh for the Asia Cup XI, highlighting his consistency at positions four to seven. According to him, with Samson competing for the top-order slots, Jitesh appears better suited for the middle-order duties India will require in the tournament.
“I feel Jitesh Sharma will play in the eleven in the Asia Cup. We shouldn’t think too much about positions first to third because he won’t get a chance there. However, his numbers at numbers four to seven have become a lot better. He has a strike rate of 166 and an average of 28. He is the first batter whose strike rate is above 150. So when the pecking order is prepared, he will go right at the top. Jitesh Sharma’s numbers have looked the best amongst everyone else. He is shining bright and seems to be at the top. I really hope he has a good Asia Cup,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
Notably, Samson has enjoyed strong returns as a top-order batter, scoring over 6000 runs in T20s at a strike rate of 140 and an average of 33. He also struck three centuries in his last 12 international matches. However, his record in the middle order shows a sharp decline. At positions four to seven, he has featured in 98 games, averaging only 20 with a strike rate of 126.
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“Sanju Samson is the first contender because he played the last series. He has struck three centuries in the last 12 matches. He is also part of the team at the moment. So, of course, he will be the first guy to talk about. If we look at his numbers in one to three in all T20s, he has scored more than 6000 runs at a strike rate of 140 and an average of 33, which are really good numbers. So Sanju Samson is a real contender if you want a keeper in the top three,” Aakash Chopra said.
“But when I look at his numbers from numbers four to seven, he has played 98 matches with an average of 20 and a strike rate of 126. Neither the strike rate nor the average looks very good there. You would keep Sanju as a frontrunner at the top, but suddenly, when you change his batting number, he goes down in the list,” he concluded.
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Last Updated on September 1, 2025
