Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri reckons Sanju Samson has more shots under his repertoire than any other Indian batter. Shastri feels Samson should be part of India’s T20 World Cup squad as the major event will be played in Australia.
Former Indian all-rounder believes the Australian pitches will suit Sanju Samson’s style of play as he has all the skills. Samson was in fine form while leading Rajasthan Royals in the recently concluded Tata IPL 2022 as he scored 458 runs in 17 matches at an average of 28.63 and an impressive strike rate of 146.79. Thus, he played an instrumental role in taking his team to the final of the tournament.
But despite his consistent performances in the IPL, Samson was not picked in India’s T20 squad for the series against South Africa. In fact, KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav were ruled out of the series due to their respective injuries but still there was no place for Sanju Samson as the national selectors decided not to name any replacements.
Shastri feels Indian national selectors will give opportunities to Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, and Shreyas Iyer.
“(Short ball discussion) it will come into play in these 20 games. Between Tripathi, Samson, and Iyer, there will be opportunities now. But when you look at Australia, bounce, pace, cut, pull, Samson will always threaten there. For that conditions, he has more shots than any other Indian, to be honest,” Shastri told ESPNcricinfo.
Meanwhile, India is expected to play around 30 matches before the T20 World Cup. However, Shastri feels seasoned campaigners like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah will not play all of these matches. The trio has also been rested for the series against South Africa.
“Because of the proximity to the World Cup, I don’t think they (Rohit, Kohli, Pant, Bumrah) will play all of these 30 games. They will be shared with others. Unless something drastic happens due to injury, I can’t see them missing out,” added Shastri, who stepped down as India’s head coach after the T20 World Cup in 2021.
India and South Africa will play the first T20I at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Thursday.
