Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Parthiv Patel said Sanju Samson couldn’t stand up and give a worthy performance in the fifth T20I against the West Indies. India could only manage 165 runs on the board after electing to bat first and lost the match by eight wickets and also the series 3-2.

Samson was dismissed after scoring only 13 runs in the fifth T20I and once again could not convert his start into a substantial score. The right-hander failed to grab his chance in the T20I series as he could only manage 32 runs in three innings at an average of 10.67 and a strike rate of 114.29.

“Once Tilak Varma got out and Sanju Samson came in, he took his time. I thought he was well settled and had a great opportunity today. These are the games where you need someone to stand up and give a worthy performance, which Sanju Samson couldn’t do it,” said Patel while speaking on Cricbuzz.

On the other hand, Patel showered praise on Suryakumar Yadav, who continued his good form. SKY top-scored for India with 61 runs off 45 balls to help the team post 165 runs on the board but his efforts went in vain.

“Suryakumar Yadav did what Suryakumar Yadav has been doing throughout the series. He has been Mr Consistent in this format. It is very difficult in T20 format to be consistent and keep playing shots, but Suryakumar Yadav has been doing it time and again,” Patel added.

Meanwhile, Tilak Varma impressed one and all with the bat but he also got the big wicket of Nicholas Pooran in the fifth T20I. Patel added Varma’s bowling could be a positive for India in future matches.

“We’ve been talking about that we need someone who can give you a bit of bowling from the top five or six batters, and Tilak Varma did that. He bowled only two overs but got Nicholas Pooran out. So, that is something India can look forward to in the future,” said Patel.

India will now face Ireland in three-match T20I series.