Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was not impressed after Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson returned with low scores in the five-match T20I series against England. Ashwin said getting out to the same field and in the same fashion in all five games is not acceptable.
While Samson was troubled with short-pitch deliveries, SKY was flummoxed with slower balls in the five-match series. The Indian opener could only manage 51 runs in five matches at an average of 10.20 and thus failed to deliver the goods at the top of the order.
On the other hand, SKY could manage 28 runs in five matches at an average of 5.60.
Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “Sanju Samson and SKY getting out to the same ball, same field, same shot, same mistake, same dismissal. I can understand it happening in 1-2 games, but this is not uncanny anymore. Players should play with freedom, but our batters need to have better answers to the same question.”
Ashwin advised SKY to take a bit more time at the crease before catapulting his attack on the opposition.
“Of course, his captaincy has been really good in this series. His captaincy has been on point, too. But he can allow his batting some much-needed breathing space. Suryakumar Yadav is a very experienced guy. One could say he was at the forefront of a change of guard of sorts. But it is time he changed his approach to his batting,” he said.
The former wily spinner showered praise on Abhishek Sharma, who scored a scintillating knock of 135 runs off 54 balls in the fifth T20I against England in Mumbai.
“This is a problem of plenty, not embarrassment of many. Why are we embarrassed when we have the riches? Let’s use terms that best exemplify our bench. Of course, Jaiswal has a place in this team, but this innings by Abhishek Sharma would train all eyes on him. He’s such a pretty-looking batsman who makes cricket look so easy on the eye. It will be tough to take our eyes off him,” said Ashwin.
The first ODI between India and England will be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur on Thursday.
