Salman Butt, the former Pakistan skipper believes the wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson must elevate his game to stand out among the current crop of Indian players. The question arises of what lies ahead for Sanju Samson, who has had an inconsistent spell with the Indian team. The Indian batting line-up was without Virat Kohli and KL Rahul in the recent T20I assignment against Sri Lanka.
Despite the shortcomings, the hosts trumped the islanders by six wickets in the third and final T20I and recorded their 12th consecutive win in T20 cricket, equalling Afghanistan’s record winning streak in the shortest format. It’s no secret that India has a wide talent pool in the lead-up to this year’s T20 World Cup.
The recent home series against West Indies and Sri Lanka witnessed young players like Ishan Kishan, Ravi Bishnoi, and Avesh Khan raise their hands for a spot in the World Cup-bound contingent.
Salman Butt: Sanju Samson’s Scores Not Enough As He Has To Be Exceptional To Be Able To Cement His Place
Sanju Samson on Sunday opened the innings in Ishan Kishan’s absence but perished for just 18 in the seventh over. He added 45 runs for the second wicket with Shreyas Iyer, who went on to hit his third consecutive T20I fifty.
Earlier, he had hit 39 off 25 deliveries in the 2nd T20I but missed out on his half-century after falling prey to Lahiru Kumara. Sanju Samson has played 13 T20Is for India since 2015, but has managed just 174 runs at a below-par average of 14.50. He also played 1 ODI scoring 46 in the 2021 Sri Lanka tour.
“Sanju Samson did hit some wonderful strokes in this game but managed just 18 runs. These scores aren’t enough. He has the talent, but the output is lacking. He needs to work on the output to be able to cement his place in the side at this level. There are a lot of players coming into the Indian team and he will have to be exceptional to make a place for him,” said Salman Butt on his YouTube channel.
Salman Butt further heaped praise on Shreyas Iyer, who ended up scoring 204 runs in three games against Sri Lanka without getting dismissed on a single occasion.
“Sri Lanka just doesn’t seem to have enough power to compete against India. It seems like Shreyas Iyer alone is enough for the Sri Lankan team as they have not been able to get him out. He’s playing with great confidence and control, ” said Salman Butt.
Sanju Samson was given a chance in T20Is after a gap of 6 months. In the first match, he didn’t get a chance to bat but in the rest of the two matches, he played the cameos of 39(25) and 18(12). He managed 57 runs averaging 28.5 in the 2 innings he played. Shreyas Iyer had a rubber to remember with a hat-trick of half-centuries, an aggregate of 204 runs without being dismissed even once in the 3 innings that fetched him the Player-of-the-Series Award.
Sanju Samson Got Skillset To Succeed: Rohit Sharma
Earlier, skipper Rohit Sharma had underlined Sanju Samson’s shot-making ability, saying that the wicketkeeper-batter will be taken into consideration while selecting the 2022 T20I World Cup squad.
“Samson has got talent man, whenever you see him bat in the IPL, he has produced that innings where everyone goes over the moon watching that innings, he has got the skillset to succeed. That is the whole point about the sport, a lot of people have skill and talent, how you utilise it is the most critical part,” Rohit Sharma had said before the start of T20I series against Sri Lanka.
Sanju Samson joined Rajasthan Royals in 2018 for INR 8 crore. He was elevated to the captaincy last season and although he couldn’t take the team into the playoffs, he still finished IPL 2021 with 484 runs at a strike rate of 137.
Rajasthan Royals had retained three players ahead of the IPL 2022 auction. Sanju Samson (INR 14 crores), Jos Buttler (INR 10 crores), and Yashavi Jaiswal (INR 4 crores) were announced as their three picks for the forthcoming season of the cash-rich league.
After a convincing series win for India, the action now shifts to Mohali where India and Sri Lanka will now compete in a two-Test series. The first Test starts on March 4 at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium.