Ravi Shastri proposes Sanju Samson for India’s T20 captaincy

It is no secret that the BCCI is looking for a change of leadership in the men’s T20I set-up, and while that debate remains hot on the table, World Cup-winner Ravi Shastri has projected Sanju Samson as a contender.

“India, come the next (T20) World Cup (in 2028), might be looking for a new captain, depending on how Surya goes over the next couple of years,” Ravi Shastri said in the latest ICC Review. “But Sanju Samson has put himself there for a leadership role because he's done that in the past for Rajasthan (Royals).

“And he's a certainty in the side, at the top of the order, extremely destructive. So I see him, this is just the start of something more, you'll see from Sanju over the next two or three years,” the star of 1983 told Sanjana Ganesan.

Sanju turned a page in the recent T20 World Cup with multiple match-winning performances that not only earned him the Player of the Tournament award but also won India the title.

After a couple of handy twenties in the group stages, Sanju raised the game in the knockouts by scoring an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies. Then he scored a memorable 89 against England at the Wankhede to steer India to the final and made the same score against New Zealand as the hosts posted a solid 255/5 and won by 96 runs.

But ahead of the World Cup, there were question marks over Sanju’s form as he had been poor in a series against New Zealand. The Kerala star made just 46 runs from five innings in the home series, but the World Cup changed everything.

“I think he has put a lid on all those question marks. There was always ability. People would, in fact, be disappointed because he wouldn't do justice to that ability.

“But my word this season, the way he's played after his performance in the T20 World Cup where single-handedly he almost won India games, the big games, the quarterfinals (West Indies, Super 8), semifinals, the final, and the way he stepped up and the maturity he's showing now in the IPL, makes him a clear case as far as I'm concerned for leadership in the future,” Shastri said.