2 spots, 7 contenders as Sanju Samson faces hit in wicketkeeper battle

If one thinks the BCCI Selection Committee has a tough job in selecting teams for Tests and ODIs, one should take a look at the T20 depth. In India’s overcrowded talent pool, wicketkeeping is one aspect that will dominate discussions when the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee picks the squad for the Asia Cup 2025. While Sanju Samson seemed to have sealed the spot with three centuries in 12 months, the massive number of players competing for spots in the Top 5 will force selectors to look at alternatives.

In modern cricket, wicketkeepers are not just the ones to don the big gloves. Rather, they are also the all-rounders. Wicketkeeping has become a secondary skill in T20s. Keepers must be destructive batters. And that creates a selection conundrum for the selectors as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir.

India’s wicketkeeping contenders

• Sanju Samson
• Rishabh Pant (if fit)
• KL Rahul
• Ishan Kishan
• Dhruv Jurel
• Jitesh Sharma
• Prabhsimran Singh

Sanju Samson (Top order)

Among the seven wicketkeeper-batter options, Sanju Samson seems to be ahead of the curve after smashing three centuries for India in the last 12 months. While Samson had a poor outing in the IND vs ENG T20 series, before that, he went on a rampage in South Africa, hitting two centuries in four innings, striking at 194.59.

In the last 12 months, not many wicketkeeper-batters have been as good as Samson. Across tournaments, Samson has scored 838 runs at an average of 34.91 and a strike rate of 160.84. He has scored three centuries and two fifties. However, despite Samson’s exploits, his place in the India squad and Playing XI for the Asia Cup 2025 won’t be guaranteed. The reason is the overcrowded Top 5 spots and his inconsistency. Despite his exploits, Samson also had four ducks and three single-digit scores.

With Shubman Gill returning to the T20Is, he will have a guaranteed opening spot. If India stick to Abhishek Sharma and Gill comes in as an opener, Samson will have to negotiate for a place. With Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma also in the mix, apart from captain Suryakumar Yadav and IPL 2025 Orange Cap winner Sai Sudharsan, Samson’s recent form may not guarantee him a spot in the Playing XI. Samson’s exploits have come in the top order, scoring at a strike rate of 174.52, including three centuries. In the middle order, his stats plummet. He has a strike rate of just 123.88 in the middle-order with just a solitary half-century in 18 innings.

Rishabh Pant (Middle order)

While Rishabh Pant hasn’t really lit the T20 format on fire, he will continue to be the favourite. Despite his struggles, India backed him in the T20 World Cup 2024. And that could continue if he is fit. At the moment, Pant is racing against time to be fit for the Asia Cup after suffering a fracture on the foot during the England tour.

However, his injury is not the only concern. Despite scoring a century in his last outing in IPL 2025, Pant struggled big time in IPL. Excluding the century, Pant scored just 151 runs in 12 innings at an average of 13.72 and a strike rate of 107.9. He had seven single-digit scores during IPL 2025. But if Pant is fit for Asia Cup, his batting position could work in his favour.

KL Rahul (Flexible)

IPL 2025 saw a new avatar of KL Rahul, who last played a T20I for India back in 2022. But this new avatar has excited the selectors. Rahul scored 539 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 149.72 and had three fifties and a century. With Rahul also extending his form to Test cricket, selectors will be tempted to recall him to the T20I side for Asia Cup 2025.

However, KL Rahul will also face a similar problem to that of Sanju Samson. He is a top order batter. That limits his chances. While Rahul batted at No 4 in IPL but with way too many options in the Top 5, his chances will be low to make the XI.

Jitesh Sharma (Middle Order)

That is where Jitesh Sharma could emerge as the ideal choice as the keeper-batter. Jitesh batted at No 6 mostly for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, playing the role of a finisher. And he excelled. In IPL 2025, Jitesh scored 261 runs at a strike rate of 176.35, including a match-winning 85-run knock against Lucknow Super Giants.

For T20 World Cup 2022, India opted for Dinesh Karthik and Jitesh could play a similar role in Asia Cup 2025 as well as T20 World Cup 2026. His power-hitting and excellent strike rate could allow India to go with a top-heavy batting line-up.

Dhruv Jurel (Middle Order)

Not that Dhruv Jurel has set the stage on fire in T20s, but he remains an option because he bats in the middle-order. For Rajasthan Royals, Jurel scored 333 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 156.33. He played the role of a finisher for India as well. Considering Jurel has been a first-choice backup in Test, selectors could trust him with T20Is in the run-up to the T20 World Cup.

Prabhsimran Singh (Punjab Kings) and Ishan Kishan will also remain options. However, considering both are top-order batters, their chances of making it to India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025 are slim. While Ishan Kishan scored a century in IPL 2025 and then struggled for consistency, Prabhsimran had a good outing, scoring 549 runs at a strike rate of 160.52.