Samson was pushed to the middle order, where he struggled and was a poorer fit than the back-up keeper in the squad – Jitesh Sharma, who brought finishing skills to the table. By the time the World Cup discussions came around, the thinking flipped again. Gill was short of runs, Samson went back to the top, and Ishan Kishan – fresh off a prolific title-winning SMAT campaign was brought in as the reserve keeper and top-order cover. The stars, so to speak, aligned.
