Against Bangladesh, Samson wasn't even considered good enough to come inside the top seven of the line-up and that begs a question as to what is he doing in the team if he isn't good enough to come ahead of Axar Patel.
The Indian trio of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and aggressive opener Abhishek Sharma retained their respective top positions in the ICC T20 rankings.
Abhishek Sharma reached 931 ratings point, which is 12 more than the previous best rating of 919 attained by England's Dawid Malan in 2020.
Hardik Pandya injured his left ankle during the match against Bangladesh in Pune.
Seldom has an India vs Pakistan clash played with such a volatile backdrop, where cricket seems inseparably knotted with off-field tension, provocative gestures, and fines slapped on both camps.
The likes of Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel would all like to get some decent hit out there in the middle ahead of Sunday's clash against Pakistan.
On Sunday, in the crucible of Dubai, it all comes down to a single question: Who will seize their moment and become a hero for a nation?
On Sunday, Goud repaid the faith shown in her with a telling spell of 3 for 20, that included three maidens, to derail Pakistan's chase of 247.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav will depend heavily on his spin troika as India gear up for yet another demolition act of Pakistan in what promises to be an intense and tense Super 4 face-off of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has found himself in the spotlight for a brief moment of forgetfulness at the toss during their Asia Cup fixture against Oman in Dubai on Friday.
Indian spinner Ravi Bishnoi and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh moved up to the sixth and 10th spot respectively in the latest ICC T20 rankings released on Wednesday.
This was India's third victory in a row against Pakistan and their 11th victory overall against the arch-rivals in 14 T20 matches.
Hardik Pandya is yet to recover from the ankle injury suffered during World Cup 2023.
Shubman Gill is the flavour of the season after his stupendous show in the recent Test series against England but he will face a contender in Axar Patel for vice-captaincy
Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah overtook Bhuvneshwar Kumar to become team's fourth-highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket.
Shubman Gill was rewarded with the captaincy of the Indian ODI team for the upcoming tour of Australia, the BCCI announced on Saturday.
Hardik Pandya has been fined Rs 12 lakh for maintaining a slow over rate during their IPL 2023 match against Punjab Kings.
'Looking at their bowling line-up, they had a left-arm spinner and a leg spinner. I think Dube was perfect for that occasion in that 7-15 overs range.'
After days of off-field drama, Team India was back on the field in Dubai at the ICC Academy, sharpening their skills ahead of the final Group A clash against Oman.
India pacer Arshdeep Singh linked his success in the Super Over against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup Super 4s match to his ability to nail the wide yorkers.
The Indian team's heavy reliance on all-rounders will be tested by a plucky Australia in the second ODI but the spotlight will continue to stay firmly on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom would look to turn back the clock with series-saving knocks in Adelaide on Thursday.
Emotions often get the better of his side when facing arch-rivals India, a flaw former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif believes has cost them crucial matches in recent years.
Hardik Pandya confirmed that he has recovered completely from his ankle injury and will be back to bowling in IPL 2024.
ri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka smashed a belligerent century as Indian bowlers endured their worst day in the Asia Cup before Arshdeep Singh produced a brilliant 'Super Over' to win the game for his side in Dubai on Friday.
Earlier, warm-up routines had players darting through shuttle runs and high knees before bats were unsheathed.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Saturday reprehended the fans booing Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya, saying it is not the fault of the player if he has replaced much-loved Rohit Sharma, who shepherded the team in previous seasons.
This brings us to the question of combination and perhaps Arshdeep could miss out on more games going into the T20 World Cup -- a tournament that will be held in the sub-continent -- India and Sri Lanka.
Ashwin wants this "unexpected hero" to surprise against Pakistan during Asia Cup
Hardik's hair was styled by star hairstylist Aalim Hakim
'Pretty amazing. The whole tournament, we remained unbeaten, it feels pretty amazing to be in this position.'
Hardik recently led his IPL franchise Gujarat Titans to title win in their debut season
The cricketing ecosystem has learned to survive the prolonged absence of Kohli and Rohit -- at least in two formats -- in this interim period.
Virat Kohli is yet to arrive in Bengaluru and it is not clear when he will undergo the mandatory fitness test ahead of the new season.
That is the level of trust we have in each other.'
Abhishek Sharma was brutal and beautiful in equal measure during his scintillating 74 as India made a tricky chase look comfortable, winning an ill-tempered Super 4 contest of the Asia Cup against Pakistan by six wickets in Dubai on Sunday.
The tournament had been fraught with tension from the very start, and the animosity carried into the final, which India won by five wickets on a rather long Sunday night.
Hardik Pandya rose two places to become the first Indian to occupy the No 1 spot in the ICC's T20I all-rounders' rankings.
Mystery spinner Varun Charkravarthy on Wednesday rose to the top spot in ICC's T20 International Bowlers' Rankings for the first time
The team management now has a tricky call on hand while deciding whether to keep Samson in the playing XI finding a slot for him in top three or play Jitesh Sharma
Since he took over, head coach Gautam Gambhir has stressed on multi-skilled players across formats, especially those who can add batting depth.
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