Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar felt that Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson played an “unnecessary” shot against Wanindu Hasaranga during the Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad, giving the Sri Lankan spinner his wicket for the 6th time in T20 cricket.
On the back of Jos Buttler stunning century, the Royals handed RCB a proper thrashing by 7 wickets, chasing down 158 with 11 balls to spare, knocked Faf du Plessis’ side out of the competition, and booked their place in the final with the Gujarat Titans.
However, Samson, who recently was dropped from India’s squad for the upcoming T20I series vs South Africa, copped criticism for his shot selection and for getting out after getting a start (23 off 21 balls with 1 four and 2 sixes).
Against Hasanranga, who already has Samson’s number, the RR skipper danced down the track and missed the googly altogether; wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik calmly stumped Samson out. Fans and experts felt that Samson should have stayed till the end, asserting that his failures to convert his starts into a big score have cost him a place in the national side.
Sachin Tendulkar on Sanju Samson’s shot selection
Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians mentor, said that Samson struck a couple of handsome boundaries but felt his shot selection which led to his dismissal was not correct, and could have seen the chase home.
“Sanju ended up playing a couple of really good shots. But the way he got out to Hasaranga, if I am not mistaken for the sixth time, it was an unnecessary shot. He could have avoided that stroke and the game could have finished even earlier,” the 49-year-old said on his YouTube channel.
Before Buttler’s onslaught, it was Prasidh Krishna’s terrific three-wicket haul – which included the wickets of Virat Kohli in the powerplay, and Dinesh Karthik and Wanindu Hasaranga in the death overs – that restricted RCB to a below-par total of 157. RCB captain Faf du Plessis later said that his side was at least 20 runs short of a par total.
The final will be played at the same venue, Narendra Modi Stadium. Titans have made the final in their debut season itself, while Royals have entered the final for the first time since 2008.
