Sanju Samson should be included in India’s playing XI for the upcoming Asia Cup, Sunil Gavaskar urged the team’s management.
The two wicketkeeper-batters selected for India’s eight-team competition side are Samson and Jitesh Sharma.
Since Gautam Gambhir became head coach, Samson has been a consistent starter for India in Twenty20 International cricket. The Kerala batsman has scored over 400 runs, including three hundreds, in 14 Twenty20 Internationals under Gambhir. Samson’s status in the team is questionable, though, as Shubman Gill has returned to the T20I setup and been chosen vice-captain. The Punjab batsman will probably open the batting due to his performance in that role in the Indian Premier League.
Gavaskar, though, thinks it would be a mistake to drop Samson. He recommended that Samson’s adaptability be used by the management, either at No. 3 or below in the order.
Ahead of the continental tournament, India Today cited Gavaskar as saying, “You can’t leave someone like Sanju Samson out in the reserves if you take him in the core team.”
“Yes, I believe that having two good batters and someone like Sanju Samson who can possibly bat at three and come down at six as a finisher if necessary is a great headache for any selection committee. Additionally, Jitesh performed admirably in the just finished Indian Premier League. Therefore, I do believe that the tour selection committee is experiencing a delightful headache,” he continued.
Samson will most likely start ahead of Jitesh for at least the first two games of the competition, according to Gavaskar, who also believes that Samson will start more often than Jitesh.
“However, I think Samson might be selected for at least the first few games rather than Jitesh. The remainder of the competition will therefore depend on his performance. However, this is what I believe will occur,” Gavaskar stated.
Additionally, Gavaskar believes that Samson would bat at number three, followed by Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya.
However, for that reason, I believe they may even be considering placing Samson at number three and Tilak at number five or six as a finisher. as Hardik (Pandya) is also on your team. Hardik will most likely bat at five or six once more.
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