Indian World Cup winner S Sreesanth believes that it was the right decision by the Indian selectors and management to leave Sanju Samson for the ODI World Cup in India, as he needs to change his mindset and listen to the advice of the legendary cricketers.
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 team. The right-handed batter could not make an impact with the bat in the five-match T20 series against the West Indies which is the reason behind his omission from India’s ODI World Cup plans.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Sreesanth shared his opinion about the exclusion of Sanju Samson from the squad, as he urged the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter to listen to the advice of the former cricketer, who rates him highly in the game. He also wants him to change his attitude because he is no longer a young player in the team.
“I think it’s the right decision because it’s very important for a player to understand himself,” Sreesanth said.
“From Gavaskar sir to Harsha Bhogle sir and Ravi Shastri sir, everyone rates him highly. There’s no doubt about his ability. But the approach… he doesn’t listen when someone asks him to play according to pitch. He can change that attitude,” he added.
“You are not a youngster anymore. You are getting older every day. You are not a 19-year-old; you are going to be 35 in no time,” Sreesanth further added.
Sanju Samson has shown consistency in the ODI format of the game. 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, but was overlooked by the Indian team, as the team opted to go with Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan for the World Cup.
Samson has been regarded as a generational talent in Indian cricket, however, has not had any consistent opportunity for the Indian team at the highest level.
Besides, the batter has not utilised the opportunity to cash in the Indian team failing to make an impact in the crucial games for the team.
The team has opted to go with Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul as the wicketkeeper batters for the marquee event in India, as both glovemen have done a splendid job for the team in the given opportunities in recent times. The Men in Blue would be tempted to use both players in their playing 11, with one playing as a pure batter in the World Cup.