Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer believes the team management made the right call in backing Sanju Samson ahead of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the first T20I against Afghanistan. Chasing 157 runs for the win, Samson was dismissed cheaply after scoring 10 runs off eight deliveries, after he was picked ahead of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the final XI.
The Indian opener holed out to a deep square-leg fielder while playing the pull shot but could not get the distance. Samson returned to the squad after he was dropped in the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe.
On the other hand, Sooryavanshi has been in red-hot form as he scored 151 runs in three T20Is against Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the youngster scored 192 runs in five innings in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy for East Zone.
While Samson played the first and last T20I against England, Sooryavanshi was backed in three games of the series.
Jaffer said on his YouTube Channel, “It was a good decision. There had been controversy when Vaibhav got a chance, and Sanju had to be dropped. I think Sanju should get an extended run, and Sanju also needs to score runs consistently.
“Score some runs when you play because there is a lot of pressure, with Vaibhav there. There is no dearth of batters in the Indian team. Sanju is a very good player and plays match-winning knocks when he gets going, but he is very inconsistent in between.”
Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma scored an impressive knock of 82 runs off 32 balls with the help of seven fours and as many sixes. Jaffer said the left-hander has matured a lot on the International level.
“It looks like Abhishek Sharma is becoming more mature. He took some time, even if it was for just two or three balls, because earlier his signature style was to look to hit a six on the first ball. He has the game to make up for it later. He is such a dangerous player of spin; we saw that yesterday as well with how he played Rashid, Nabi, and Mujeeb. He has the capacity to hit two-three fours and sixes in an over.”
Sharma was awarded Player of the Match for his blistering knock. The second T20I between India and Afghanistan will be played on Tuesday in Delhi.
