Sanju Samson should be a good fit in India’s T20 World Cup squad for pitches and conditions in Australia later this year, opined former India head coach Ravi Shastri.
The Rajasthan Royals captain who recently led the franchise to the IPL 2022 final was omitted from India’s squad for the home 5-T20I series versus South Africa; this came as a surprise because Samson was part of the Sri Lanka series – and performed well, scoring 57 runs in two innings at a strike rate of 154 – and is coming off another successful IPL campaign with the bat – in which he scored 458 runs at a strike rate of 146.
Samson’s proactiveness in attacking and showing intent had garnered him applause from pundits and fans alike but some also felt that lack of a big knock in the IPL – he hit two fifties with the highest score of 55 – cost him his place in India’s T20I squad.
Ravi Shastri Heaped Praises On Sanju Samson
Ravi Shastri, though, strongly believes that Samson should be back in the scheme of things. He asserted that the Kerala batsman’s game is well suited for Australian conditions and should keep him in good stead while competing for a place with the likes of Rahul Tripathi and Shreyas Iyer.
“(During Short ball discussion) it will come into play in these 20 games. Between Tripathi, Samson, and [Shreyas] Iyer, there will be opportunities now. But when you look at Australia, bounce, pace, cut, pull, Samson will always threaten there. For that conditions, he has more shots than any other Indian, to be honest,” Shastri told ESPNcricinfo.
Skipper Rohit Sharma, former captain Virat Kohli along with spearhead pacer Jasprit Bumrah are rested for the South Africa series, while, after KL Rahul’s late injury, Rishabh Pant has been appointed to lead against the Proteas.
Shastri further opined that these players will be rested for many games going into the T20 World Cup.
“Because of the proximity to the World Cup, I don’t think they (Rohit, Kohli, Pant, Bumrah) will play all of these 30 games. They will be shared with others. Unless something drastic happens due to injury, I can’t see them missing out,” the former coach added.
