Sanju Samson’s recent treatment in India’s T20I setup has left fans and experts baffled. First, he was pushed out of his preferred opening slot, and soon after, he was dropped from the playing XI altogether. Many are questioning what exactly the team management and head coach Gautam Gambhir are planning. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill, who has been given Samson’s place at the top, hasn’t made a strong impact in the format. With Jitesh Sharma replacing Samson in the middle and lower order as a finisher, the conversation has intensified after India’s loss in the second T20I against South Africa in Mullanpur. Gambhir’s former KKR teammate Robin Uthappa publicly raised the question everyone has been asking: What did Sanju Samson do wrong? Speaking to Star Sports, Uthappa said, “I beg the question: what did the partnership of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson do so grossly wrong that they had to be replaced? I understand Surya mentioning before the series that Shubman has been in the T20 setup longer than Sanju. But when Sanju did get his chance, he scored three hundreds. He was the first among these youngsters to do it in T20 cricket. Abhishek got his after that, and Tilak followed. He actually inspired and challenged the others when India were identifying the next T20 opener.” Also Read: Quinton de Kock reveals why he reversed retirement - and it will surprise you Uthappa stressed that Samson deserved a longer run as an opener.“You have a proven opener averaging just below Abhishek Sharma right now, yet he was moved to the middle order and eventually left out. What wrong has he done? He deserves that opportunity,” Uthappa added. He also touched upon Shubman Gill’s approach in T20Is, which he feels isn’t working currently. “It’s not working for Shubman at the moment because he’s trying to bat at the same pace as Abhishek. That’s not his game. His strength is taking his time, those first 10 balls, settling in, absorbing pressure, and then dominating. Once he reaches 15–20 balls, there are very few batters like him. That’s the style that works for him in T20 cricket.”