India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir stated he has spoken with Sanju Samson about the reasons behind his exclusion from the team’s starting lineup for the previous two T20Is.
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has provided an explanation, which has nothing to do with Samson’s batting form, although Gambhir has not disclosed the nature of the chat. Samson has scored six runs, including a duck, in three innings since the Ireland tour. Given that he had three outstanding innings in a row during this year’s World Cup in February and March, there does not seem to be enough data to assess his form, much less dispute his spot in the starting lineup.
Manjrekar believes that if 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s “fitness” is the only valid reason why India is giving him a shot instead of Samson, then it is a “fair call.”
Samson Told To Make Kohli Role Model
Samson’s fitness is the only justification for his slide. It is a fair call if it is the cause. Manjrekar wrote on X (previously Twitter), “Samson is not supporting his cause by not being in peak physical shape.”
Manjrekar believes Samson would succeed if he followed in the footsteps of Virat Kohli, who is still among the fittest Indian cricket players at 37.
“At this stage of his career, Samson must keep Virat as his role model,” wrote Manjrekar.
Samson, who will be 32 in November of this year, has amassed 1405 runs at a strike rate of 155.42 in 57 T20I innings. Three centuries and six fifties are included in his tally.
Gambhir On Samson’s Snub
Gambhir stated that there is no reason why the wicketkeeper-batter cannot regain his place in the current England series, even though he has spoken with Samson about the reasons behind his benching.
The clarity that should have been given to Sanju Samson, he has got from me. And that conversation is between a head coach and a player. The contents of that conversation are obviously not something I’ll share with you,” Gambhir said.
“…we are absolutely clear that what Sanju has done for India, especially during the World Cup, has been phenomenal. Sometimes, though, you also have to look at the form of a certain player. There is no hard and fast rule that he cannot make a comeback in this series,” he added.