Sanju Samson Out, Jitesh Sharma in; Why Gautam Gambhir Should Back RCB Wicketkeeper During India's Tour of Australia?

India vs Australia: The Asia Cup is over and India won it keeping their lead-up to the T20 World Cup 2026 on track. But, the XI that played Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup, will that be the same XI that will feature in the WC? Is Samson the right choice at No. 5, or is Jitesh Sharma better suited? These are the questions clogging the minds of the fans. 

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Jitesh Better Suited at No. 5 Compared to Samson? 

In roughly a few days, the Indian team would be travelling to Australia for a white-ball series where three T20Is and three ODIs would be played. It would be a good opportunity for Gambhir to fix all the problems. Surely, Gambhir and the rest will look at the Samson scenario. While most reckon, he is a to-order batter and is being wasted at No. 5 - the option of having Jitesh at that number may be a better choice. Jitesh is a T20 specialist, unlike Samson - he has a wide range of shots - in front and behind the wicket. For RCB, Jitesh plays at No. 5 and in the 2025 season - he did well. 

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Jitesh - The Finisher

In 15 IPL matches in 2025, he amassed 261 runs at a staggering strike rate of 176.35. 

He was one of the big reasons for the success of RCB. In fact, his good show in the IPL was noticed and that got him a spot in the squad. It would be interesting to see if Jitesh is backed for the No. 5 spot during the Australian tour or not. By not playing Jitesh and trusting Samson at No. 5, the Indian team management is not being fair to any of them.