Speaking about Sanju Samson's omission from first India-South Africa T20I, Ravichandran Ashwin said, "The moment Shubman Gill came into [India's T20I] side, and as vice-captain, Samson was always going to find it difficult to get into [playing XI]." He noted Jitesh Sharma has been picked for finishing abilities. Ashwin suggested that Team India management should play Samson at number three.