Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid were appointed as the captain and coach pair of Team India to end India’s ICC title drought and take the side to the top of the world. Fair to say, after a year and a half of being in charge, Team India is far from fulfilling their ambitions.
So far, India’s big disappointments came in Asia Cup 2022, T20 World Cup 2022, and WTC Final 2023. Some of the selection decisions made by Indian Skipper and Rahul Dravid have come under heavy scrutiny and criticism in these losses. Some players would also feel hard done by Rohit and Dravid because of their poor calls.
Here are 2 players who did not get fair treatment from captain Rohit Sharma:
Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson continues to be looked aside by the captain, just as he was under Virat Kohli. And over the past couple of years, Sanju Samson has carried on his IPL and domestic form to a higher level, showing his class and talent in India colors, that he can be successful in international cricket. However, the poor, directionless changes made in India’s T20I team in 2022 were further a reflection of how Samson was treated under Rohit and Dravid.
In around mid-2022, Samson played a few cracking T20 knocks for India: 39 off 25 and 18 off 12 vs Sri Lanka, 77 off 42 vs Ireland, and 30* off 23 vs West Indies. However, when the time came for the big tournament, T20 WC 2022, India put in the likes of KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda, who failed miserably in important matches. Hopefully, Samson will get a consistent run in the remainder of 2023 as India approach 2023 WC and 2024 T20 WC.
Yuzvendra Chahal
Senior leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has all the reasons to feel frustrated and upset with Indian Skipper regarding his being forced on the bench throughout the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, where the likes of Adil Rashid, Adam Zampa, and Hasaranga showcased their abilities. But Chahal was in the squad and didn’t get to play a single game as India went with Ashwin and Axar.
This was despite Yuzvendra Chahal having had a terrific time in T20 cricket: he was the Purple Cap winner in IPL 2022, and is now the leading wicket-taker for India in T20Is. Chahal was treated harshly by the management of Indian Skipper and Indian Coach in the T20 WC 2022 and he should have played in the tournament, irrespective of the conditions or opposition, because he’s a world-class leg-spinner.
As Adil Rashid showed to India in the T20 WC semi-final, quality leg-spinners can find a way to make impact even on good batting surfaces in Australia.
