He is extraordinarily gifted, yet frustratingly inconsistent. But with Samson, nothing has been straightforward ever, so why should it be any different this time around? It’s not as if Samson was a stranger to batting in the middle order – on his T20I debut itself in July 2015, he slotted in at No. Samson didn’t seem at home in the middle-order, though in his first hit at the Asia Cup, he made 56 against Oman in Abu Dhabi. And so, for the five-match series against New Zealand, India’s last tango before the World Cup, Gill was dumped from the larger squad and Samson picked, as opening partner to Abhishek.