Former Indian selector Saba Karim feels that the road is tough for the Indian wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson in the Indian team as he seems to be below KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan in the pecking order. The 28-year-old has missed out on the 17-men squad for the Asia Cup 2023, as he will be travelling reserve in the team for the continental event.
With the ODI World Cup scheduled in two months, Indian team management is keen on finalising their squad for the marquee event in the country as they tried out different combinations in the West Indies tour and with Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul returning to the team for the Asia Cup 2023, the axe has fallen on Sanju Samson despite his good numbers in the 50-over format of the game.
Speaking on Jiocinema, Saba Karim said that it tough phase for Sanju Samson in the game, as he is below Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul in the Indian team selection, and also raised his concern regarding the future of the Kerala batter in the Indian team, as he considers Samson as one of the gifted cricketers in the game.
“It is a tough phase for Sanju Samson, let us admit that first, because now it seems in the pecking order you have KL Rahul, then you have Ishan Kishan, and then comes Sanju Samson,” he added.
“It’s also the way he looks at his future in international cricket. Does he look at himself as a wicketkeeper-batter or does he think of himself as a batter? The kind of potential he has, everybody knows he is so gifted,” Saba Karim said.
Sanju Samson usually bats at the top of the order in IPL and domestic cricket but is largely seen as a finisher in the Indian ODI team. Samson has done a good job for India finishing the games in the 50-over format of the game but has to wait for his opportunity in ODI cricket.
That’s What We Require From Sanju Samson Going Forward – Saba Karim
Saba Karim urged Sanju Samson to work hard on his wicketkeeping skills to consider himself as the primary gloveman in the Indian team and feels that he has few things to improve on his wicket-keeping and asserted that on batting he needs to make a more impactful performance for the team.
“The road ahead for him is to number one work hard on his wicketkeeping if he wants to be considered as a wicketkeeper-batter. There are some areas of concern for him but with the kind of talent he has, if he works hard, and goes back to the drawing board, I am sure he will be a much better keeper next time around,” he said.
“In terms of his batting, he has to continue with this similar kind of intensity, be more consistent, but I think impactful is more important. That’s what we require from Sanju Samson going forward,” Saba Karim added.
The 28-year-old scored 390 runs with a sensational average of 55.7 in 12 innings as most of his runs came batting lower down the order and will look to take up the opportunities for the Men in Blue in the future.