India urged to drop Sanju Samson from T20 World Cup XI; legendary batter gives bold remark

India urged to drop Samson from playing XI [Source: AFP Photo]

Sanju Samson had the opportunity of a lifetime to treat his hometown fans with a spectacle in the fifth T20I of the series vs New Zealand, but just like the other four matches, he failed to deliver in the series finale as well. With Ishan Kishan circling around, Samson had to score big, but the batter couldn’t do much as his opening spot hangs in jeopardy.

Enduring a lean patch, it was expected that in front of his home fans in Trivandrum, Samson would score runs on a flat wicket, but the batter once again crumbled under pressure and scored a run-a-ball 6 as he ended the tour on a low.

Gavaskar ends Kishan-Samson opening spot debate

While his teammates, Abhishek Sharma (30 off 16), Suryakumar Yadav (63 off 30), and Ishan Kishan (103 off 43) scored heavily in the 5th T20I and made a mockery of the Kiwi attack, Samson watched from the sidelines as his hopes of opening in the World Cup quickly faded away.

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar criticised Samson for his approach in the T20I series and delivered a blunt message, stating that Samson is likely to be removed from the opening spot for the World Cup, especially with Tilak Varma returning and Kishan performing exceedingly well.

“It’s very difficult to drop him (Ishan Kishan). And drop him for whom? Tilak Varma is a proven performer at this level. Sanju Samson is also a proven performer, but he’s not in form. This has nothing to do with ability or temperament, sometimes form deserts you,” Gavaskar said to the official broadcaster.

“In a big tournament like the World Cup, you can’t take chances. He’s had all five matches, his highest score is 24, and he’s been getting out in odd ways. That shows a lack of confidence. Unless Tilak Varma isn’t fit, I can’t see Sanju being part of the XI on February 7.”

Samson's poor form could led to his exit

Samson was playing in the middle order in the Asia Cup, but fans demanded that he be pushed to the top order before the T20 World Cup. He was selected ahead of Shubman Gill in the World Cup squad, and was given five games to showcase his calibre.

He played in all five matches, but the result was only 46 runs, and a strike rate of just 135 as other batters dominated and he failed. Indian management showed patience with him, but that could break as Samson has done more harm than good before the World Cup.

Kishan solidifies his case as World Cup opener

Questions were raised when Kishan was picked in the T20I squad for the World Cup, but the southpaw justified his selection with two crucial knocks in the series.

In the Raipur T20I, he smacked 76 off 32 balls to hand India an easy win, and it was followed by a whirlwind century in the 5th T20I as Kishan ended the series with 215 runs, with a strike rate of 231.18.

With Samson failing and Kishan scoring heavily, the management might take the call of promoting the left-handed batter at the top to play alongside Abhishek Sharma.