All India Senior Selection panel led by Ajit Agarkar blatantly ignored Sanju Samson for India vs Australia ODI series as well as for the marquee ODI WC 2023. Despite averaging in excess of 50, Sanju Samson hasn’t got ample opportunities which raises a lot of eyebrows.
India has an explosive middle order in the form of KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan & Suryakumar Yadav who can decimate the opponent on the given day. The management perhaps needs to use Suryakumar Yadav as a finisher as he can inflict a lot of damage during the death overs phase.
There’s no doubt about Sanju Samson’s ability- S Sreesanth
S Sreesanth was having an interaction with Sportskeeda. S Sreesanth said that Sanju Samson doesn’t listen when someone asks him to play according to the pitch. S Sreesanth wants Sanju Samson to read the wicket and take calculative risks rather than attacking every bowler.
“I think it’s the right decision because it’s very important for a player to understand himself, From Gavaskar sir to Harsha Bhogle sir and Ravi Shastri sir, everyone rates him highly. There’s no doubt about his ability. But the approach… he doesn’t listen when someone asks him to play according to pitch. He can change that attitude,” said S Sreesanth.
“Whenever I meet him, I tell him just one thing: “Sanju, please read the wicket. Wait, don’t go after every bowler. Think. You can hit anyone anywhere anytime, just wait for the opportunity,” he added.
Sanju Samson hasn’t shown consistency- S Sreesanth
S Sreesanth was angry on Samson for not making the most of the opportunities. S Sreesanth pointed out that Samson is not longer a youngster and stated that he has been playing since 2013 and scored only 3 tons. S Sreesanth was quite optimistic that Sanju Samson would be a 3 format player for India very soon.
“All of Malyali people who support him, including me, say he doesn’t get chances. We can’t say that. He got chances against Ireland, Sri Lanka, he has been playing IPL for 10 years. He has been playing since 2013, has been the captain too, and has scored just three 100s and he hasn’t shown consistency,” said S Sreesanth.
“Sanju Samson will be back. He’ll play all formats: Tests, ODIs and T20s if he changes his mindset. I don’t think he’ll change his mindset but I genuinely hope for Kerala cricket and Indian cricket that such a talent doesn’t get wasted by only playing the IPL. I think he should change his approach but he will not… I don’t want to change a person who doesn’t want to change,” he added.
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