Indian batter Hanuma Vihari reckons the five-match T20I series against the West Indies will be an important one for opener Sanju Samson. The spotlight will be on Samson after he had two poor matches in the Asian Games against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Samson could only manage nine runs in two games as he failed to deliver while batting at one drop. However, the flamboyant batter had scored two fifties in the T20I series against Afghanistan. With Vaibhav Sooryavanshi breathing down Samson’s neck, the experienced batter will need to come up with consistent performances against the Windies.
“A big series for Sanju Samson. Every series he plays now is a big series for him because he did not score runs in the Asian Games. Vaibhav and Abhishek played good knocks. Ishan Kishan played well. Shreyas was decent. Tilak was excellent in the final and even Dube played a good knock,” Hanuma Vihari said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Vihari reckons Samson and Sooryavanshi should play in rotation with Abhishek Sharma.
“I think Suryavanshi should get a chance. You have to find a way. Maybe by rotation. Give Abhishek 8 or 9 games out of the next ten. Up to you. But Suryavanshi and Samson should play in rotation. Let’s wait and watch what Gambhir does,” he added.
On the other hand, Vihari reckons the T20I series will be a tough challenge for the Indian bowlers against a strong West Indies batting order.
“India will have to do well with this bowling attack if they have to beat this West Indies side that has raw power in the batting. Keep Arshdeep side. Kuldeep has not yet settled into the T20I side. Bishnoi has been hot and cold. Mayank is raw and young. There is no bowling as such. Only Arshdeep is the one. That is why it will be a huge task with this bowling attack. We cannot rely only on batting,” he said.
The first T20I between India and the West Indies will be played on Tuesday.
