The Indian T20I team has chosen Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma as its two wicketkeepers for the 2025 Asia Cup. Samson has performed effectively as an opener and has been India’s top wicketkeeper in the format for the past year or so.
In contrast, Jitesh Sharma has only participated in nine Twenty20 Internationals for India, the most recent of which was in January 2024. Nonetheless, there is a good probability that Shubman Gill will open given his selection as the Asia Cup 2025 squad’s vice-captain. Samson’s position is now in jeopardy, and Jitesh Sharma, who can bat deeper down the order unlike Samson, has gained a slot.
Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma serve their squad in the IPL in two distinct capacities. Having spent most of his career as a top-order batter, Sanju Samson’s role is to lay the foundation and score runs for his team.
In contrast, Jitesh Sharma is a finisher who typically receives relatively few balls to have an effect. His strike rate is therefore more significant than his runs, and he is anticipated to make valuable cameos in crunch situations.
In IPL 2025, Sanju Samson has managed only 24 runs more than Jitesh Sharma, despite opening for Rajasthan Royals in most games. He batted nine times with a respectable average and strike rate, but failed to convert starts into big scores — something expected from a top-order batter in the league.
In contrast, Jitesh Sharma played many useful cameos during the 2025 Indian Premier League while batting in the lower middle order. He blasted an undefeated 85 against LSG to propel his club into the top two, and he scored 24 off just 10 balls in the final to help RCB’s score. Therefore, it can be said that Jitesh Sharma had a better IPL 2025 than Sanju Samson because he carried out his duties for RCB in crucial occasions.
Sanju Samson has played in many more IPL games than Jitesh Sharma, according to their respective overall numbers. In 177 IPL games, the current skipper of the Rajasthan Royals has amassed nearly 5000 runs at an average of 30 and a strike rate of nearly 140. He is therefore among the best Indian batters in league history and has scored several game-winning runs throughout the years.
In contrast, during his 55-match IPL career, Jitesh Sharma has only scored one fifty. Nonetheless, his strike rate is about 160, which is a crucial factor in the function he fulfills for his squad. However, the cricketer, who was born in Amravati, has struggled during his four-season IPL career and hopes to better in the future.
Purely on numbers, there isn’t much of a comparison between Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma. Samson brings far greater experience and has established himself as a proven performer, while Jitesh is only beginning to make his mark. Their roles in the batting order differ, but if a choice has to be made, Samson’s record still stands stronger than Jitesh’s.
