Former India fast bowler Mohit Sharma has heaped praise on Sanju Samson after India secured a seven-wicket win against Afghanistan in the second T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Tuesday. Samson got off to a sedate start in his innings, scoring eight runs off the first 10 balls.
However, he was able to change gears after getting his eye in, smashing 43 runs off the next 10 deliveries, thus reaching his fifty off only 20 balls. This was Samson’s fastest T20I fifty as he batted at the top of his game.
There was pressure on Samson as he was dismissed after managing only 10 runs off eight balls in the series opener. Sharma reckons that the experts and fans are in a little haste in judging Samson’s place in the team.
“Sanju batted brilliantly. I often feel that we are a little hasty in judging him. The way he batted has probably put an end to the debate,” Mohit Sharma said on Cricbuzz.
In the same discussion, former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif said Samson getting among the runs was a huge positive for India.
“The biggest thing that came out of all this is Sanju Samson scoring runs, because we have given him opportunities. Why do we keep talking about Vaibhav Suryavanshi? That’s because Sanju Samson has been dismissed without even scoring 10 runs, many times. He has been out for 0, 2, 5 or 6 runs, and his form after the World Cup has not been that good,” he said.
The former UP batter said no one will question Sanju Samson’s place in the team if he can score runs consistently at the top level, which has always been an issue for the batter.
“Everyone knows the kind of potential and skill Samson has, and there is no better player against spin than him. He knows how to hit Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi for sixes, everyone knows about his dominance against spin. I think his problem is scoring consistently. If he does that, no harm will ever come to him. No one will ever raise a question again. Vaibhav Suryavanshi is a great talent, but he will remain benched. The 3-4 poor knocks that follow after a big score like a 100, that is where Samson needs to work on. So, I think today’s innings will relieve some pressure,” Mohammad Kaif said.
The third and final T20I between Afghanistan and India will be played at Delhi on Thursday.
