Team India has brought Sanju Samson back into the T20I squad for the upcoming series against Afghanistan after he missed the Zimbabwe tour. Since India’s T20 World Cup triumph earlier this year, the team management has constantly shuffled the squad, particularly at the top of the order. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was fast-tracked into the senior side following his incredible IPL season and has been given opportunities to open alongside Abhishek Sharma. Samson, meanwhile, lost his place after a series of inconsistent performances following his impressive World Cup campaign. His return for the Afghanistan series now gives him another opportunity to regain his position, with India still appearing to search for their best combination at the top of the order.
With Samson now back in the squad, the opening combination will once again be a major talking point. Former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta believes the team management could explore a new pairing, with Samson and Sooryavanshi yet to open together for India.
“Straight away, if you think about the last match (England T20Is), it was Sanju and Abhishek. Leave Zimbabwe aside. When all three were available, Sanju and Abhishek were there. I think we haven’t seen the Sanju-Vaibhav combination yet. So far, we’ve seen Abhishek-Vaibhav and Abhishek-Sanju, right? It’s not a bad idea to even try and see what kind of combination Sanju and Vaibhav can make,” Dasgupta said on his YouTube channel.
Meanwhile, Sooryavanshi has made a strong case for himself, finishing as the top run-scorer with 151 runs in three innings against Zimbabwe. He scored two fifties at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 196.10, including a match-winning 81. He was also named Player of the Series as India secured their first series win under newly appointed T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, following defeats to Ireland and England.
"Try every combination"
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Sooryavanshi has made a strong case for himself, finishing as the top run-scorer with 151 runs in three innings against Zimbabwe. He scored two fifties at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 196.10, including a match-winning 81. He was also named Player of the Series as India secured their first series win under newly appointed T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, following defeats to Ireland and England.
"Try every combination"
{{/usCountry}}Dasgupta, however, made it clear that his suggestion was not about dropping any of the three players. With the T20 World Cup approaching, he believes India should use the available matches to give different combinations enough opportunities and game time before deciding what works best.
“Again, I’m not saying, please don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about dropping anyone here. I’m just saying, reiterating again, that the idea is that before the World Cup, you want to give every combination and every individual a proper chance and proper game time to understand what works,” he added.