IND vs SL: Sanju Samson hasn’t been getting enough chances to play for Team India of late despite being named in the squad for several bilateral series.
However, the right-handed batsman eventually got his chance to don the national jersey in the T20I opener against the Sri Lankan cricket team in Mumbai.
As it turned out, Sanju Samson failed to make his presence count on the pitch. The Kerala skipper who came out to bat at No.4 could have handled the situation well given his talent and experience.
However, his shoddy shot selection put him on the back foot. Sanju Samson scored 5 runs off six deliveries before falling prey to Dhananjaya de Silva in the penultimate ball of the seventh over.
Sanju Samson might not have batted well in the T20I opener but was pretty sharp and decisive on the field. He nearly pulled off a stunning flying catch but dropped it in the follow-through.
Sanju Samson took two superb catches on the field to dismiss Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva. Indian commentator, Sunil Gavaskar expressed his disappointment after Sanju Samson failed to deliver in the T20I opener.
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IND vs SL: Sunil Gavaskar unhappy with Sanju Samson for his poor shot selection in the Wankhede T20I
The Kerala skipper hardly put up a fight as he was caught out by a fielder at a short third man as Dilshan Madushanka took a catch in his safe pair of hands. Sunil Gavaskar made an honest assessment of Sanju Samson after the latter got dismissed for a single-digit score in the first T20I against the Sri Lankan cricket team.
Gavaskar stressed the fact that Sanju Samson is a fine player. Speaking on the same lines, he said Sanju Samson was let down by a poor shot selection at times.
“And this time, it’s the leading edge going to short third man. He is such a fine player. Sanju Samson has so much talent but his shot selection sometimes lets him down. And this is one more occasion where it has disappointed,” Gavaskar said while commentating for the host broadcaster.
It will be quite interesting to see how Samson goes about his business in the second T20I. Even former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir opened up on Sanju Samson’s dismissal during the first T20I against Sri Lanka.
According to him, it is absolutely vital for Samson to make use of the chances properly. “We all talk about how much talent he has but he needs to capitalize on these chances,” former Indian cricketer, Gautam Gambhir added during the broadcast’ live show after the first T20I.
Meanwhile, Team India won the first game by two runs against Sri Lanka. Rightly so, they took the first lead in the series. The players are now gearing up for the second T20I. The game will kick off on January 5 (Thursday) at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.
