Former Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane has showered praise on Sanju Samson after the T20I series against Afghanistan, which India won by 3-0. After scoring only 10 runs off eight balls in the series opener, pressure was building on Samson.
However, the Indian opener scored a blistering knock of 57 runs off just 22 balls in the second game. The flamboyant batter backed it with another decent knock of 50 runs off 35 balls.
Samson was not picked in the T20I squad for the series against Zimbabwe and had failed to deliver the goods on the UK tour.
Ajinkya Rahane said on his YouTube Channel, “I am happy for Sanju Samson that he scored runs with consistency. He batted really well and played as per his role. Abhishek Sharma batted differently, and Sanju Samson had to play a supportive role. I think a senior player has this understanding.”
Rahane said Samson deserves his place in the team as he has all the experience under his belt.
“Sanju deserved to play because he has been performing for many years. His batting position kept on changing. Sometimes he batted at five or six, when the team needed him at four, he batted there. He has batted from one to seven,” he added.
On the other hand, the former Indian vice-captain reckons Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will need to wait for his chances.
He added, “He is talented and has the skill, but I think he will have to wait. We form opinions very quickly. If a player is doing well, people form that opinion of him. There is nothing wrong with that, but you have to see that it doesn’t affect the mindset of the player. It’s about grooming the players.
“If he doesn’t perform well, people will be quick to form an opinion that he got an opportunity but didn’t do anything. The more time he spends with the Indian team and the experienced players, the more his game will develop. No doubt, we have seen the kind of talent he has in the IPL, and he has had limited opportunities. But yes, we will have to groom him and give him some time. The challenge for team management is to decide when to give Vaibhav Suryavanshi a chance, and when he gets the chance, not to judge him quickly.”
Samson and Sooryavanshi are both part of the Indian squad for the Asian Games.
