Pragyan Ojha, former India spinner while speaking to Sports Today said young players like Sanju Samson need to understand the importance of consistency if they are looking to seal a permanent spot in the senior national team.
Pragyan Ojha added only established stars like skipper Virat Kohli and his deputy Rohit Sharma can afford to have the luxury of going through lean patches.
Pragyan Ojha Reckons Likes Of Sanju Samson Has To Perform Consistently
Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha came up with an interesting analogy to explain why youngsters like Sanju Samson need to perform consistently to cement their place in the India national team. His comments came after Sanju Samson began his Indian Premier League (IPL) captaincy stint with Rajasthan Royals on an impressive note.
Pragyan Ojha, speaking to Sports Today after Rajasthan Royals’ 3-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in Mumbai in their IPL 2021 encounter on Thursday, said there is no doubt about the talent that someone like Sanju Samson possess but it’s important for youngsters to keep delivering in order to rise above the competition and seal a permanent spot in the Indian team.
Sanju Samson hit a valiant 119 from just 63 balls against Punjab Kings in Royals’ IPL 2021 opener which unfortunately went in vain as the Royals fell agonizingly short of a 222-run target by 4 runs. On Thursday, Sanju Samson failed to trouble the scorers much but he led his troops well as Royals sealed a 3-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in a low-scoring thriller in Mumbai.
Sanju Samson was appointed as the captain of the Royals before the IPL 2021 after the former champions released Australia star, Steve Smith. Sanju Samson, who made his India debut as early as 2015, has not managed to find a permanent spot in the Indian team but there are no doubts about his talent.
The Kerala batsman was entrusted with captaincy by the Royals and if early signs are anything to go by, the 26-year-old is hungry for success.
Pragyan Ojha: Quite A Few Cricketers Are Like Pre-paid Sim Cards And In Order To Become Postpaid They Have To Perform Consistently
Pointing out that the likes of Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan who made their India debuts after Sanju Samson are ahead in the queue at the moment, Pragyan Ojha said only players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma can afford to have lean patches at the highest level.
“When you talk about Sanju Samson, there is one thing. When he came into this side, there was no Rishabh Pant, there was no Ishan Kishan,” Pragyan Ojha told Sports Today.
“In this present Indian team, consider this interesting story Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are like post-paid sim cards. They can push themselves for a bit more time without paying the bills. But quite a few youngsters are like pre-paid sim cards.
“It has to be renewed in the given time otherwise the sim is dead. All these youngsters should understand they are not post-paid sim cards. They are pre-paid sim cards, to become postpaid, they have to perform consistently,” he added.
Sanju Samson is one of the few young players who have played more than 100 IPL matches. In 109 matches he has scored 2707 runs at an average of less than 30. At the highest level, Sanju Samson has played 7 T20Is but is yet to get a 30-plus total.
Ishan Kishan, on the other hand, made a terrific international debut with his swashbuckling knock against England in the second T20I after excellent performances in IPL 2020 at UAE where he amassed 516 runs in 14 games averaging around 57 and played a part in Mumbai Indian’s title triumph.
Ishan Kishan impressed with a 28-ball half-century in his first outing in the Indian T20I team which was also his first international match.
Rishabh Pant scored 274 runs in 3 Tests in Australia averaging 68.5. He scored 91,11, unbeaten 58, 8, and 101 in the 5 innings against England. He managed 270 runs against England in 4 Tests averaging 54. He scored 155 runs in 2 ODIs and 102 runs in 5 T20Is in subsequent limited-overs series against England.