Indian veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels that Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has no space to bat at the top for India as the team has fixed top-order batters to play in the Asia Cup and ODI World Cup later this year.
With 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 resting their star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the last two games of the three-match series.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin feels that Sanju Samson has done exceptionally well for the Indian team in ODI cricket batting in the middle order including a counter-attacking half-century in the final ODI game against West Indies, and hailed him for gameplay against the spinners.
“The other player who got a chance was Sanju Samson. He scored a fifty in the ODI series. In the T20I match, he scored 12 off 12. He got a role in the middle order.
“When it comes to IPL, he bats at number three or four largely. Mind you, he has got a very good record in ODIs. A very good average and he scored a 50 in the third ODI as well. And he took down spin as soon as he came in, and that’s his specialty,” Ravichandran Ashwin 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 and will look to continue his form going into the Asia Cup 2023.
Sanju Samson Is A Very Good Guy And We All Want Good For Him – Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin believes that the Indian N0.3 spot is sealed for the next 2 to 3 years with Virat Kohli playing for the team and asserted that everyone knows about his ability to win the games for the team and feels that spot in that middle order will be open only after one or two years.
“When it comes to Team India, the number 3 and 4 slot is not open. Given Sanju’s ability and talent, we know he can change the course of the game at any point. He is a very good guy and we all want good for him. But the role we expect from Sanju when it comes to Team India is different”.
“There is no space for him in the Top 4. Whether there will be a spot for him after the World Cup or after one or two years after the World Cup, we will have to wait and watch,” Ravichandran Ashwin 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.