- Mar 4, 2024
- Aug 4, 2023
Right after the Indian Cricket board announced India’s squad for the 20- 20 World Cup 2022 and the upcoming home series against Australia and South Africa, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson was once again the talk of the town. The Rajasthan skipper missed out on the bilateral series as well as the World Cup as Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik were chosen ahead of Sanju Samson for the role.
The cricket-loving public and a bunch of former players were surprised to see Sanju being shown the door once again. Among them, retired Pakistan player Danish Kaneria opined that Sanju Samson should have made it to the India squad and should be given more chances over Rishabh Pant, as he has shown what he is capable of even in the limited chances that he has got for India.
“It is a bit unfair for someone like Sanju Samson. He should have been considered for the T20 World Cup squad. What has he done wrong to not find a place? He has also been ignored for India’s home series against Australia and South Africa. I would have gone for Samson instead of Rishabh Pant,” Kaneria said in a video on his YouTube channel while reviewing the squad.
Despite Rohit Sharma’s continued backing this year, the Kerala-born player was once again not part of the squad. Ahead of the Sri Lanka home T20I series in March 2022, Sharma said good things about Sanju Samson saying that he is a talented player and has a lot of promise, adding that he has all the makings of a big match player. But the way he has been meted out the harsh treatment recently puts Rohit Sharma’s statements to waste.
“His back-foot play is superb, some of the shots you must have seen during the IPL, the pick-up pull, the cut shots, standing and delivering over bowler’s head. Those kinds of shots are not easy to play and I believe when we go to Australia, you need that kind of shot-making ability and Samson does have it in him. I just hope that he utilizes his potential to the maximum,” Rohit Sharma had said.