Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has urged Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson to improve his shot-selection and be more consistent.
Samson has all the talent under his belt and he is a treat to the eyes when he gets going. However, it has been noticed that Samson tries to be aggressive from ball one, which often leads to his downfall.
Samson is well known for his timing and he is one of the most gifted batsmen but hasn’t quite made great use of his talent, skills, and abilities. The Kerala batsman was dismissed after scoring only four runs against Punjab Kings on Tuesday when he tried to play a big shot on the fifth ball he faced and was caught behind by KL Rahul.
Despite making his debut for the Indian team back in 2015, Samson has played a solitary ODI and 10 T20Is as he hasn’t been able to grab his opportunities with both hands. Samson has played some breathtaking knocks in the IPL but needs to be more consistent at the domestic level.
“What has led him down is the shot selection. Even at the international level, he doesn’t open the batting there. He was the second or the third wicket down. And he looks to hit the first ball out of the ground. That is impossible. That is absolutely impossible even if you’ve been in the richest vein of form. You have got to maybe knock it around for maybe twos and threes and get the feet moving and then look to play,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
The Little Master added that Samson needs to improve his temperament, which will help him improve his shot selection. The Indian great feels it will be difficult for Samson to represent the national team consistently if doesn’t improve his shot selection. Samson has not been named in India’s T20 World Cup and also could not take his chances against Sri Lanka.
“That is something he is going to watch out for. Because otherwise, it is going to be a waste of such God-given talent. I have always said that a lot of shot selection boils down to temperament. That is what separates the men from the boys. And therefore, for him to go on and be a regular player for India, his shot selection has to be that much better,” said Gavaskar.
Samson will aim to be more consistent while leading Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing IPL 2021.
