Former Indian selector Saba Karim feels that Indian wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson is still in reckoning for the ODI World Cup 2023 if KL Rahul fails to prove his match fitness before the mega event in India. The Kerala batter will be a travelling reserve for the Asia Cup 2023 as a backup option for the team.
Sanju Samson scored a vital half-century in the final ODI game against West Indies in the three-match series but was blown hot and cold in the five-match T20 series against the Men in Maroon with his poor form in the shorter format of the game and was dropped from the India squad for the Asia Cup due to the return of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul in the team.
Speaking on Jiocinema, Saba Karim feels that Sanju Samson’s knock in the 2nd T20 against Ireland was a positive one and said that he is still in the reckoning for the Indian ODI team, as he can come in place of KL Rahul in the team if fails to recover from the injury.
“But on top of that, even Sanju Samson, for that matter. Sanju Samson remains in the reckoning. In case KL Rahul is not fit, then who do the selectors look at? So Samson comes in as a replacement for KL Rahul. So that is why those 40 valuable runs in the 2nd T20I outing at number four was a huge positive for India,” Saba Karim said.
The 28-year-old scored 390 runs with a sensational average of 55.7 in 12 innings at an impressive strike rate of 104.00 batting lower down the order for India and would look to make a valuable impact for the team in the forthcoming games.
Good To See Prasidh Krishna Come Back – Saba Karim
Saba Karim heaped praise on Indian speedster Prasidh Krishna for his brilliant comeback into the game and feels that he has improved his performance coming back from a long injury.
“Plus Prasidh Krishna, as we have always talked about, good to see him come back. I think this season, this series performance compared to last year when India Tour Ireland was much better,” Saba Karim added.
Prasidh Krishna returned to the Indian team for the three-match Ireland series and impressed everyone with his bowling in the first two games especially in the new ball, picking up wickets for the team. In the 14 ODI games, he has claimed 25 wickets at an economy rate of 5.32 and would look to utilize the opportunity in Asia Cup 2023.