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Despite twin failures in back-to-back outings against New Zealand in the ongoing T20I series, former India all-rounder R Ashwin has urged India to not drop Sanju Samson as their first-choice opener alongside Abhishek Sharma just yet.
After spending three months and nearly 15 T20Is out of his opening role for Shubman Gill, Samson was reinstated into the slot starting with the last South Africa T20I in Ahmedabad in December. A sturdy knock then forced the national selectors to axe Gill from the T20 World Cup the following day and reposing faith on Samson as the first-choice wicket-keeper-cum-opener alongside Abhishek Sharma. With backup wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan putting on a stellar show with a 76-run knock on Friday in Raipur, the pressure has mounted on Samson.
Only one of the two wicket-keepers will be slated to play in the XI when the injured Tilak Varma returns to the squad following his recovery from an abdominal surgery. Still, Ashwin has insisted that India must not fiddle too often, too early.
Not ideal inside dressing room
“It’s way too early to think of dropping him. If India keeps doing such circus acts by playing Sanju when he did well before, and now Kishan because he’s playing well now, I don’t have to tell how it’ll end for India. It’s not ideal inside the dressing room. There is a lot of competition for places, but it’s too early for this change,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin said India must not evaluate Samson’s dismissals excessively after he fell playing two aggressive strokes to the New Zealand pacers in the first two games.
“It’ll be very unfair. This opening combination has been reverted only for the last two games. A player has got out playing an attacking shot. If you penalize him for that and bench him, how will you witness the best of that player? It wasn’t that there was a rush of blood or that he wasn’t calm. He just saw the ball and went for it ( 2nd T20I dismissal). That’s how you should instinctively bat, but it just didn’t go his way,” Ashwin added.
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Former India opener Aakash Chopra said Sunday’s third match in Guwahati could be the most decisive game of Samson’s career.
“This could be the most important match of Sanju Samson’s life. I say that because this is the third match, Tilak Varma might be available after this match, and you might see him playing the match on the 28th. Then only one of Ishan Kishan and Sanju will play,” Chopra said.
English (US) ·