Ravi Shastri, the former head coach of India, was blunt in his criticism of Sanju Samson‘s extended absence from the Indian T20I team. In the fifth Twenty20 International of the series against South Africa, Samson made his eagerly anticipated return to the T20I lineup by taking Shubman Gill’s place at the top of the order after he was injured.
A player of Samson’s calibre ought to be a consistent member of the T20I XI, according to Shastri. Additionally, he recognised the wicketkeeper-batter’s abilities during his 22-ball 37-run performance and praised Samson’s record as an opener.
“First of all, why is he not on the side? You can’t help but wonder why it took an injury to bring him in when you watch him perform like this. At the top of the order, he is a perfect fit. In T20 cricket, he has already amassed three hundreds, including two consecutive hundreds against South Africa. He can make shots like these and is explosive and dangerous. Even so, where do you bowl to him? shared Shastri while providing match commentary.
Samson, making his first appearance for India since the Australia tour, looked great while playing in the centre.
He hit two sixes and four fours during his daring innings. The 31-year-old batted alongside Abhishek Sharma and took full advantage of the powerplay.
At the Narendra Modi Stadium on December 19, the Men in Blue were asked to bat first and ultimately posted 231/5. Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya, who combined for a 105-run partnership off just 44 deliveries for the fourth wicket, were mostly responsible for the total.
During their chase, South Africa got off to a strong start and won the powerplay. But after the tenth over, India took regular wickets to totally ruin the second innings. The visitors lost the match and the series by 30 runs and 3-1, respectively, finishing with 201/8. This was the ultimate conclusion of the all-format series.
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