It feels that Sanju Samson is the unluckiest Indian player of his generation. But it has been the same with wicket-keepers in India for the past 18 years.
Earlier, it was MS Dhoni, who kept out the likes of Dinesh Karthik, Parthiv Patel, Naman Ojha, and Wriddhiman Saha. Of course, with no fault of Dhoni while others failed to make their chances count, and knowing that they will get games only sporadically and after Dhoni moves away.
And now, Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan have already kept Sanju Samson out of the Indian eleven in many games which Samson would have played otherwise, and this could be the theme going forward too if Pant finally comes good for a consistent period of time in limited-overs cricket.
His records are impressive: average of 21 and strike rate of 135 in 16 T20Is and average of 66 and strike rate of 104 in 10 ODI innings. His IPL numbers speak of a seasoned campaigner: 3526 runs, average of 29, strike rate of 135 with 17 fifties and 3 centuries.
Rishabh Pant, who made his Indie debut in 2017, has cemented his place in the Test side. But it is the long rope Pant has gotten in white-ball cricket that hasn’t sat well with those championing for Sanju Samson’s inclusion in India’s limited-overs sides.
How long before India finally drop Rishabh Pant and give Sanju Samson consistent game time?
Pant was dropped in 2020, but his Test performances in Australia got him back in the ODI and T20I sides, and since then he’s been India’s first-choice keeper across formats, barring the period when India preferred Dinesh Karthik over Pant in T20Is leading up to the T20 WC. And going by Shikhar Dhawan’s recent statements that Pant has proven himself and deserves a long rope, apparently, he will remain at the top in the pecking order.
Anyway, many non-Indian coaches and commentators had expressed grave shock when they realise a batsman of the talent and skillset of Sanju Samson had played only a handful of games for India until last year; Samson, who made his India debut in 2015, has so far played only 27 white-ball games out of which 20 have come in 2022, meaning that until last year, he’d played in only 7 internationals despite being a consistent run-scorer in the IPL and domestic cricket.
If that’s not being unlucky, I don’t know what is!
