Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra believes Sanju Samson would not be backed at one drop as it is captain Suryakumar Yadav’s position after the clash against Pakistan in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup.
Samson scored 13 runs off 17 balls against the arch rivals as he looked a bit tentative in the middle while batting at number five. In the last Group A fixture, Samson had scored 56 runs off 45 balls against Oman and was awarded the Player of the Match.
Chopra said Samson’s destiny in the middle order was written when Shubman Gill was appointed as the vice-captain for the Asia Cup.
Aakash Chopra said on ESPN Cricinfo, “No, he can’t be batting at three. Three is Suryakumar Yadav’s position. I think it was the day India announced the team with Shubman Gill as the vice-captain of the side… With Shubman Gill’s bat and the position and the designation, you’ve written Sanju Samson’s destiny that he’s no longer your 1,2,3 batter where he’s likely to score most of the runs.”
“He got to bat only because, let me just also say this, if he hadn’t scored the runs in the previous game, he wouldn’t have even batted at the number he batted today. Hardik Pandya would’ve come in place of him, and then Shivam Dube, and then Sanju Samson. That position is natural to him, and you’re playing against Pakistan. Of course, this time you were chasing run-a-ball, it was slightly higher.”
Chopra reckons if India needed 35 runs off 20 balls, then they would have sent Shivam Dube ahead of Samson.
“I mean, say, 20 balls 35 runs, or 31 runs, then you would have sent, and then he would have sent Shivam Dube because those are the two guys who are likely to hit sixes against whoever Pakistan is going to throw at them. So, Sanju is not going to bat three. I mean, it may have happened against Oman, but that is the only time he was supposed to bat there,” Chopra added.
The renowned commentator urged the team’s think tank to show more patience with Sanju Samson as the batter is not batting at his preferred spot.
“(The wicketkeeper-batter has to be a middle-order player) That’s what it looks like in this team. I mean, see ideally, if you have Sanju in the team, and whenever you pick a team, you also need to make sure that you get the best out of everyone. So, Sanju Samson’s best position is as an opener.”
“The second best is at No. 3, and anything else is going to put him under immense pressure. And that’s not how this team was picked… So, Sanju’s destiny is unfortunately not… it requires a bit more patience, it requires a slightly longer rope, and [for] Sanju to also develop the skills to finish because that’s where he is required to bat,” he added.
India will next take on Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Wednesday.
