NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing debate over Team India's opening combination for the Asia Cup, former head coach Ravi Shastri has advocated for Sanju Samson to open the innings alongside the left-handed Abhishek Sharma.

Samson's place as an opener looks uncertain with Test captain Shubman Gill returning to the T20I side as vice-captain, but Shastri believes Gill can bat anywhere in the top order and doesn't want to disrupt the opening combination.

"He [Samson] is most dangerous in the top three. That's where he wins you matches. He should be left there. It [replacing Samson for Gill] won't be that easy. Samson has a strong record for India at the top in T20s. Even Gill will find it tough to displace him. Gill may come in for someone else, but Samson should be left alone as opener," Shastri said in an interaction with the media on Sunday.

Although Samson has occasionally opened in the past, it was only during the home series against Bangladesh last year that he was given an extended run at the top. He made the most of the opportunity, smashing three centuries in his next seven innings against Bangladesh and South Africa, becoming the first Indian batter to register three T20I hundreds in a single calendar year.

As an opener, Samson has amassed 522 runs in 17 innings at a blistering strike rate of 178.76 - the second-best for India, just behind Abhishek Sharma. In contrast, Shubman Gill has scored 578 runs from 21 T20I innings at a strike rate below 140, averaging 30.42.

"Samson should continue playing the way he has for India in T20s. He has been consistent at the top with big runs and hundreds," Shastri added.