IND vs SL: There was immense speculation about not handing Sanju Samson chances often in the starting XI. Even there was immense controversy over Agarkar and Gambhir’s decision to not have him in the ODI side despite the Champions Trophy in sight.
However, yesterday, Sanju Samson was given a chance to be part of Gambhir’s starting XI, as he replaced the injured Shubman Gill, who missed the second T20I due to a back spasm. There remained only joy and rejoicing when fans saw him in the starting XI.
Sanju had had one of the best IPL seasons of his career, as he scored a stunning 531 runs with the Rajasthan Royals. Though Sanju was not seen much in the domestic cycle, as he was seen traveling with the Indian team across all formats, he never made it to the starting XI, except on very scant occasions.
Samson before this match had a decent record as he scored a ton in the ODI format in the last international 50-over match he played for India and also scored a 50+ score in his last T20I appearance against Zimbabwe in the 5th T20I.
With much of the hype, Samson was sent in to bat at the top of the order alongside young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. Sri Lanka, having been put to bat first by Suryakumar Yadav after he elected to bowl after winning the toss, put on board a total of 161.
Once again the Sri Lankan middle order had no answer to the Indian spinners, as Bishnoi struck thrice and Axar twice, before Pandya too struck twice with two big wickets of Kusal Perera and Kamindu Mendis. Restricted to a below-par total, rain interrupted the play as under the DLS rule, the total was revised to 78 runs in 8 overs.
However, failing to stand up to everyone’s expectations, Samson, who replaced Gill for the second T20I, got out on the very first delivery of Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana. Sri Lanka is regular to start with the off-spinner, and Samson could not resist him, as the Royals skipper was left baffled as Theekshana’s ball rattled his stumps.
After such a disappointing show in the first game under head coach Gautam Gambhir, Samson might lose his chances to feature further; however, with no likely options as openers, Sanju might get another go if Gill fails to be fit before the third T20I on 30th. However, as said, even the best players go through bad patches. Samson should be made to constantly neglect his flops, as he is sure to excel given the chance to play for long periods.
However, Gambhir, who is often known for his unconventional antics, especially his experiments with the opening pair, the biggest of them being pairing Sunil Narine for KKR, might try new combinations of players like Shivam Dube or Riyan Parag alongside young Jaiswal. This would also hand the likes of Parag and Rinku more game time in the Gambhir era.
