'Move forward with him' - Irfan Pathan passes verdict in Jitesh Sharma vs Sanju Samson debate

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan feels Jitesh Sharma should be preferred over Sanju Samson in India's T20I lineup going forward. Discussions around which wicketkeeper merits a place in India's T20I XI have persisted for quite some time now.

Irfan pointed out that placing a top-order batter like Samson down the batting order may serve as a hindrance to his capabilities as well as the team's progress in general.  

"It's a fair call because you will face difficulty going forward if you are thinking about batting Sanju Samson down the order. Sanju Samson has batted up the order, in the top three, in his entire career. It's a very difficult job if you go down from there. He had played a very good knock in the Asia Cup while batting in the middle overs," shared Irfan in a video on his YouTube channel.

The erstwhile all-rounder opined that proceeding with Jitesh for his middle-order position will be the better bet. He also advised the Indian management to refrain from frequently tinkering the XI.

"However, if you have to choose one between the two as to who will be more competent and proceed with one plan, you are proceeding with Jitesh Sharma currently, and you will have to move forward with him only. If you keep chopping and changing, you will have difficulties going forward," he added.

Jitesh was preferred over Sanju for the first T20I of the ongoing series between India and South Africa. He was one of the unbeaten batters at the end of the hosts' innings in Cuttack on December 9, finishing unbeaten scoring 10 off five balls. He then proceeded with executing four catches in the second innings to cap off a dominant display.

The Men in Blue emerged victorious by a whopping 101-run margin to take a 1-0 lead. It will be interesting to witness whether Samson comes back to the setup. For now, it seems as if Jitesh will retain his spot in the XI as the T20 World Cup 2026 looms on the horizon.