Ravichandran Ashwin says Shubman Gill will play ahead of Sanju Samson in Asia Cup

Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes Shubman Gill will play ahead of Sanju Samson in the Asia Cup. Gill was appointed as Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy and since then, Samson’s opening slot has come under the scanner.

Gill was included in the T20I squad after he scored 754 runs in five Test matches against England. The right-hander had also scored 650 runs in 15 IPL 2025 matches for the Gujarat Titans at an impressive strike rate of 155.87.

On the other hand, Samson has scored three T20I centuries in the last 12 matches but he could only manage 51 runs in five games against England in 2025 as he was troubled by short-pitched deliveries.

Samson was in fine form in the Kerala Cricket League as he has scored 368 runs in five innings at an average of 73.60 and a strike rate of 186.80 while leading Kochi Blue Tigers.

Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “The rest of the 10 are a lock, this is the only debatable spot. Will Sanju Samson have a spot in the middle order? No chance in my opinion. You can figure this out by looking at the nets, just like how looking at a house can help figure about a country. Shubman Gill will definitely play, while Sanju Samson will only be knocking (practice). Because he didn’t even bat in the nets. It’s sad that he won’t be starting in the Asia Cup.”

On the other hand, the former Indian all-rounder tipped Team India as massive favorites in the continental tournament.

“India starts as massive favorites. It will be a shocker if anything other than an Indian victory happens. Yet, despite being an ardent Indian cricket fan, I’ll watch in amazement if someone dethrones India in the tournament. Pakistan are at the bottom of the contention list in the competition. We can say Sri Lanka are the second-best team in Asia, with Afghanistan breathing down their neck,” said Ashwin.

India will begin their Asia Cup campaign against the UAE on September 10 in Dubai.