Is it the end of the road for Sanju Samson‘s T20I career? Has he played his last match for India at 31? One fears both might be true. One can argue that Samson hasn’t been treated well by the selectors and management in the past, but the truth is that the wicketkeeper-batter has and perhaps will always be an inconsistent player. He’ll have the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, not just in a season but in a series.
Countless talent
Any other team would accept Samson with both arms. But India has the riches. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, arguably the best T20 batter in the world, was warming the bench as he played. Even if you take the teenager out, India has the likes of KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Sai Sudharsan and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
All of those mentioned would be starters for other sides. But not for India. The Men in Blue have the privilege that others don’t. Therefore, some players will be hard done by. One feels Samson has been treated harshly, but can one fault the selectors for picking Sooryavanshi over him? Not really.
Why ‘rested or dropped’ doesn’t matter
On the other hand, getting dropped for Prabhsimran for the India vs Zimbabwe T20I series is surely not justifiable. Reports claim that Samson wasn’t dropped but rested. That the selectors didn’t want a senior player to warm the bench. But it doesn’t feel like that matters. Whatever term the management or media houses use, the truth is, he isn’t playing.
One has to remember that after the T20 World Cup 2024, Gill and Jaiswal were rested from T20Is to manage their workload and prioritise Test cricket. 2 years later, both are nowhere near the team because those who were granted chances cashed in on them. Samson is most likely falling victim to that as well.
For all we know, Prabhsimran might play one of three games in Zimbabwe and light it up. Abhishek Sharma, Samson’s opening partner, did something similar in 2024 and cemented his place as the permanent opener. Sooryavanshi and Prabhsimran can both do that, and then, Samson might be history.
India Playing XI for 3rd England ODI
On July 4, Samson was dropped for Sooryavanshi. On July 6, he was dropped from the squad. Now, on July 7, he continues to warm the bench.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy
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