Speaking on Jio Cinema, Kumble emphasized that Samson's recent century against Bangladesh has boosted his confidence. However, he also noted that the 29-year-old's consistency has been a concern. "There's been a lot of talk about keeping Sanju Samson in the team long-term, and that century he scored will certainly have given him a lot of confidence. We know the ability of Sanju Samson; he is a class act," Kumble said. Kumble suggested that Samson's best role could be at the top of the order, in positions one, two, or three, where his strengths-particularly against fast bowlers and spinners-could be fully utilized. "Placing him at the top of the innings is where I believe he can truly add value to this team. He has strong backfoot play, plenty of time against fast bowlers, and can be devastating against spinners," Kumble added. The former cricketer also expressed interest in seeing how Samson performs during India's upcoming T20I series in South Africa, where conditions are expected to be challenging. "It will be interesting to see how he handles those four matches in South Africa under those conditions," Kumble said. India is set to begin their T20I series against South Africa on November 8. The squad, led by Hardik Pandya, includes several new faces alongside established stars. Notable inclusions like Yash Dayal and Ramandeep Singh have been called up following their standout performances in the IPL. The T20I series is seen as a crucial preparation ahead of upcoming international tournaments. India's T20I Squad vs South Africa Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal. The first match of the series will take place at Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban on November 8. The second T20I will be held at St George's Park in Gqeberha on November 10, followed by the third at SuperSport Park in Centurion on November 13. The series concludes with the fourth T20I at Wanderers Stadium on November 15.