Mohammad Kaif: Selecting The Keeper Is A Tough Job But Sanju Samson Is Ahead For Being More Experienced Than Ishan Kishan
Sanju Samson is talented but inconsistent. The gap between his jaw-dropping innings is at times frustrating even for his biggest admirers. Only 7 T20Is despite being one of the most attractive players in the IPL for six-seven years, do not do justice to his talent but they also highlight where the right-hander has been lacking all these years.
Sanju Samson had a relatively poor IPL 2020 for Rajasthan Royals managing only 375 runs in 14 games averaging 28.84 but was going strong in IPL 2021 managing 277 runs in 7 games averaging 46.16 and scored a ton. He led from the front as captain as the team was placed 5th before IPL 2021 was suspended for bio-bubble breach.
First, it was MS Dhoni’s towering presence that kept Sanju Samson away from donning the gloves for India. Then Rishabh Pant appeared to be winning the keeper’s race in limited-overs after a successful run in Tests and now Sanju Samson has another competitor for that keeper’s slot in Ishan Kishan.
“It’s going to be a very tough job for Rahul Dravid as a coach and Shikhar Dhawan as captain. There are only six matches and you have a big squad. But I think Sanju Samson has been there for the last couple of years.
“He has played for India before. He has gone to New Zealand, Australia. He has been captaining Rajasthan Royals too,” Mohammad Kaif told Hindustan Times when asked about the keeper’s choice for the first ODI in a virtual interaction organized by Sony Sports.
Sanju Samson had forced his way into the Indian T20I side as a batsman on the back of stunning scores in the IPL and also the domestic white-ball tournaments Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali trophies.
But the Kerala youngster’s inability to put up a good score in New Zealand and then in Australia, promoted India to look towards Ishan Kishan for the home series against England. The Mumbai Indians left-hander grabbed the opportunity with both hands by slamming 56 off 32 balls on debut.
Mohammad Kaif: All Eyes Will Be On Crucial Member Hardik Pandya
Mohammad Kaif, however, believes Sanju Samson deserves the first chance.
“I think in ODIs, Rahul Dravid and Shikhar Dhawan would prefer those who have already played for India. The experienced players might get priority in the first couple of matches. Sanju is one of them,” Mohammad Kaif added.
The Indian side in Sri Lanka is without some of their top players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja. Mohammad Kaif said it will provide an ideal opportunity for the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, and Hardik Pandya to showcase their leadership qualities.
“Shikhar and Prithvi have been playing well. Suryakumar Yadav has done really well for India and in the IPL. Then you’ve got Hardik Pandya. All eyes will be on him How he does on this tour. He’s a very crucial member of this team. Being an all-rounder, Hardik hopefully gets to bowl because when he bowls, he brings in that balance to the side. There will be eyes on his fitness,” Mohammad Kaif added while responding to the query.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is on a comeback trail, and wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will also like to make a strong for themselves before the selectors finalize the squad for the T20 World Cup later this year.
“There will be a keen interest in Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s fitness. He was not a part of the Test side. So he would want to put his best foot forward. Kuldeep and Chahal might play together. They haven’t played together for a long time. Kuldeep hasn’t played regularly for the last few months.
“He will be looking forward to making a mark. The senior players will get the first preference and from there on, they will see how it goes,” Kaif, who is a part of the broadcast team for the India-Sri Lanka limited-overs series, said.