Overview
- India named an unchanged XI for the Gold Coast match, leaving Sanju Samson out for a second straight game with Jitesh Sharma as the wicketkeeper-batter.
- Samson batted only once in the series at No. 3 in Melbourne before being omitted for the third and fourth T20Is.
- Aakash Chopra publicly questioned head coach Gautam Gambhir and the management over the handling of Samson's role and recent selection calls.
- Since the last T20 World Cup, Samson has been among India's leading T20I run-scorers, including three centuries last year after thriving as an opener with Abhishek Sharma.
- Chopra also warned that Jitesh could face similar uncertainty unless the team commits to a clear plan for the middle order, noting his Hobart cameo of 22 not out.