Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal lambasted the Indian team management for sending the wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson to the No.6 position instead of sending him at the top of the order against the West Indies in the 1st T20 of the five-match series.
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, as he failed to use the opportunity to score runs in the 1st T20 failing to help India cross the line in the game.
Speaking on his youtube channel, Kamran Akmal questioned Sanju Samson’s batting position in the team as he usually bats at the top of the order and feels that the Kerala batter should have been given the opportunity to bat at the top order, especially in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
“When I talk about Sanju, does he play in IPL at no.6? He plays in top-4, give him a chance there. If Kohli and Rohit aren’t there, these batsmen should play higher in the order like 4 or 5. If you send him at 6, thinking he played aggressively in the last ODI so he can do that again, it does not happen every time,” Kamran Akmal said.
Sanju Samson has been regarded as generational talent in Indian Cricket but has not got any consistent opportunity for the Indian team at the highest level. The Wicket-keeper batter was not given enough chance in the Indian team over the last few years.
I Saw Experiments But You Need Planning With It – Kamran Akmal
Karman Akmal feels that the Indian team was overconfident in their approach going into the chase against West Indies in the 1st T20 and urged the team to have plans going into these kinds of tricky run-chases.
“When India came for the chase, I thought the captain, the coach, the management, they were all overconfident. It felt like they thought, ‘It’s nothing total’. You have to plan. I didn’t see that. I saw experiments but you need planning with it,” Kamran Akmal added.
The young Indian team could not chase down the total in the 2nd innings as they lost wickets at regular intervals to lose the game by 4 runs at the end. Hardik Pandya-led side will look to turn things around going into the 2nd T20I in Guyana on Sunday.