Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Dinesh Karthik reckons that Sanju Samson has a fan following like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Karthik opened up on Samson’s story, stating the Kerala batter has gone through a lot of ups and downs in his career at the top level.
Samson has been in and out of the team and could not deliver the goods as per his potential. However, the right-hander was able to prove his mettle against the West Indies in a virtual quarterfinal clash at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Samson scored a match-winning knock of 97 runs off just 50 balls in a must-win game for the home team in the run-chase of 196.
The Kerala batter has been a bit inconsistent at the top level but delivered when it mattered the most.
“Sanju Samson is a fantastic story, I feel. Yes, he played that wonderful innings. He is someone who has always been an enigma. People have loved him. He is, for me, the most loved cricketer. Virat, Rohit, Dhoni, he seems to have that kind of fan following. There is something about how he carries himself. What I’ve liked in that story is that he has seen plenty of ups and downs. The weight and burden of expectations has not been easy on him, even though he is so talented. That day, that ground, after the three months he had, they almost had to thrust him in, and he did what he did in Calcutta,” Karthik said on Sky Sports Cricket.
On the other hand, former England captain Nasser Hussain said he would have played Sanju Samson as an opener from the start of the tournament but admitted Ishan Kishan was also doing a fine job at the top.
“I would have brought him (Samson) in. But then Ishan Kishan, who was the in-form batter, has to move down to number three, so you are trying to solve a problem by moving someone else who is doing well,” he stated.
Karthik said he would have backed Samson because of the matchups as India’s top three left-handers were struggling against off-spin.
“I would have gone for him purely for matchups. Off-spinners were really troubling India. They were constantly not getting those starts that they get. The pitches have been hard but they want to live up to the reputation and that did not work. Off-spinners troubled Abhishek. He did not have the conviction that he normally has. I feel that’s got to do with the fact that he got ill at the wrong time. I can look at him and feel like he lacks a bit of muscle,” he said.
The former Tamil Nadu cricketer feels Abhishek Sharma, who has scored only 80 runs in six matches, is down in confidence.
“I still feel Abhishek has a good role to play. But right now, he lacks that confidence even though he showed a little bit of it in the Zimbabwe game.”
India will take on England in the second semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Thursday.
