Asia Cup: Another chance for Sanju Samson to make it count

DUBAI: Ever since India national cricket team landed on these shores — or perhaps even before — Sanju Samson has been at the heart of a growing debate among fans and pundits. Would he make the cut for the Asia Cup now that Test captain Shubman Gill has returned to the T20 fold? That was the burning question.

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At India’s first training session at the sprawling ICC Academy, Jasprit Bumrah was seen giving Samson a warm hug before pulling him aside for a quiet word. Coach Gautam Gambhir too appeared to offer the wicketkeeper-batter some special attention.Yet, in the days leading up to the tournament, Samson was more spectator than participant. While his teammates pushed through demanding drills, he largely watched from the sidelines — facing a few throwdowns, taking some high catches, and batting only after the frontline top five or six were done.

Was it a niggle or simply well-earned rest after his heroics in the Kerala Cricket League? Only the team management knows.For years, Samson struggled to cement his place in India’s T20I setup. In his first 28 innings, he managed just two half-centuries alongside 11 single-digit scores. His tendency to fall while playing expansive pulls, coupled with an inability to convert starts, often led to the axe. Despite his undeniable talent and sometimes brilliant, sometimes erratic Indian Premier League (IPL) returns, consistency at the international level remained elusive.

That narrative shifted dramatically last year. Samson struck a historic purple patch, blasting three centuries in five T20Is: two against Bangladesh national cricket team — including India’s highest individual T20I score of 111 — and another against South Africa national cricket team (107). He became the first Indian to record back-to-back T20I tons and the only Indian wicketkeeper with a T20I century in South Africa.

Those knocks lifted him to third on India’s all-time T20I hundreds list, behind Rohit Sharma (5) and Suryakumar Yadav.Even so, Samson’s last 10 T20Is included two ducks and a barren five-match series against England cricket team where he struggled badly. Injuries, too, repeatedly disrupted his rhythm.For the team management, the choice may have boiled down to Gill’s rising stature and unwavering consistency versus Samson’s unpredictability.

Gill, after all, was in sublime form — piling up 650 runs at the top for Gujarat Titans in the IPL and dominating England with 754 runs in a five-Test series.On Tuesday, captain Suryakumar Yadav was asked about Samson’s chances of making the XI against United Arab Emirates national cricket team. “We are actually taking good care of Sanju. Don’t worry, we’ll make the right call tomorrow,” came the reassuring but noncommittal message from the management.Speaking to Ravichandran Ashwin on a podcast last month, Samson revealed how Gambhir and Surya instilled belief in him. “The words coming out of the captain’s mouth itself actually felt, ‘Oh wow, great.’ I played two games in Sri Lanka but was unable to score runs. I was a bit down in the dressing room, and Gautam bhai came up to me and asked what happened.“I said, ‘After a long time, I got a chance, but I failed to capitalise.’

He said, ‘So what? I’ll drop you if you register 21 ducks.’ That’s the word he used. That kind of confidence from the captain and the coach definitely lifted me.”The suspense over his inclusion lasted right until the toss. Samson was the last to walk out of the dressing room as his teammates warmed up for the clash against UAE. True to their word, the coach and captain backed him, silencing the chatter around his place.