DUBAI— When asked about his continually changing batting position, Indian cricketer Sanju Samson gave an honest and philosophical answer, saying he is willing to be a “Joker” or a “villain” for the team’s purposes. Sanjay Manjrekar, a former Indian cricketer, said these things during an interview before India’s second Super Four game in the Asia Cup 2025.
Manjrekar challenged Samson directly about the team’s choice not to play him as a designated opener, a position he has done well in since India won the T20 World Cup last June. Since the event, Samson has played in 17 T20I matches, opening in all but three of them. He has scored 487 runs at a strike rate of 171.47, including three hundreds.
Samson compared his career to that of legendary Malayalam actor Mohanlal in response to Manjrekar’s incisive inquiry. “Recently, our Lalettan, Mohanlal, a movie star from Kerala, won a very major award from the country. He has been in movies for the last 30 to 40 years. Samson stated, “I’ve also been playing for my country for the last ten years.” “I can’t say I can only play a hero. I have to be a bad guy and a joker. I need to have some fun. I can’t say that I’ve scored runs as an opener, but I’m pretty good at the top three. I’ll give this a shot too. Why can’t I be a bad guy?
A situation that doesn’t make sense
Samson’s statements show how contradictory his circumstance is. The team’s management has not been clear about what his position would be in the Asia Cup. Ryan ten Doeschate, the assistant coach, had said recently that Samson will be supported as a No. 5 batter. However, in the game against Bangladesh, he was moved to the No. 8 position, which cricket analysts strongly criticized.
Samson has only batted twice in the four Asia Cup matches so far. The first time was at No. 3 against Oman, when he scored a steady 56 runs. The second time was at No. 5 against Pakistan. Fans and critics are becoming more and more worried about his lack of a set role since they think the squad isn’t making good use of his skills.