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'Sanju Samson will not be able to play': Ex-India opener's highlights brutal reality ahead of 2nd WI ODI
A former India opener criticised the Indian team management's batting order strategy and also felt they aren't using Sanju Samson well.
India’s batting gameplan in the first ODI against the West Indies caused some confusion, as both team selections and execution were brought into question. India’s choice to both bowl first and try to give batters more opportunities seemed at odds with each other, and backfired, as a small target was comfortably chased down without providing answers for the team’s questions.
Many were shocked not to see Sanju Samson picked for a middle order role given his strong numbers on the international stage in this format, with the selection of Ishan Kishan over him becoming all the more confusing when Kishan came out to bat as an opener rather than in the middle order. With the opening slots likely belonging to captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, India needed to understand combinations for the middle order, which they failed to achieve in the first ODI.
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Remaining in Barbados for the second match of the series might give India more time to find the answers, but former opener Aakash Chopra believes Sanju Samson will not get a chance to show what he can do this time around. Taking the first match as evidence that Kishan was ahead of Samson in the pecking order, Chopra spoke about what India’s batting gameplan could be moving forward.
Speaking on his Youtube channel, Chopra said: “There might be a question in your mind that can Sanju play. Sanju Samson will not be able to play because only one match has happened, you couldn’t play him in the first match and you couldn’t get Ishan Kishan to bat at No. 4 as well.”
With Kishan likely seen as a number 4 option, him not batting in that position confused Chopra, since his opening exploits are well-known but India’s weakness lies in the middle order with the inability of Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant. Chopra continued to talk about how Suryakumar Yadav was likely considered as the finisher at 6 for the team, but batted at number 3 instead, confusing him further.
“You are thinking about Suryakumar Yadav to bat at No. 6 at the moment. So no matter how much outrage is there, this story is not going to fly at this point in time. It is a slightly unfortunate fact that Sanju Samson will not get a chance,” said Chopra.
Chopra also implored that India try to bat first and set a challenge for themselves by trying to play the way they would in the World Cup, if they aren’t being challenged by their hosts to the degree the wish. He also asked for the bowlers to be tried out for development rather than seeking results in a series which is more important as a preparatory set of matches for the World Cup.
“Go with your normal batting order, in which keep Ishan Kishan at No. 4. Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and then Ishan Kishan at No. 4 because you have kept him there. It is important to play players where you want to play them,” concluded Chopra.
Although Samson has a fantastic average of 66 in ODIs, he was overlooked in the first Bridgetown ODI and will be hoping for a chance to stake his claim with the Asia Cup on the horizon. With not too many ODIs left before the World Cup, India’s combinations in the middle order are still up in the air, but performances in the West Indies will be needed to decide what the management settles on ahead of the October tournament.
