NEW DELHI: Just a few months ago, Sanju Samson was named the Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup.
He followed it up with an impressive IPL season, scoring two centuries. After that, however, he played only two matches during India’s tour of Ireland and just one match in the ongoing T20I series against England. Now, after three disappointing outings, the World Cup hero has found himself out of the playing XI. Samson has not featured in India’s last three T20Is against England, drawing criticism of the team management and the BCCI from fans.
Fans on social media have questioned how the Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup could be left out even as India continues to struggle. Many have argued that no other player has faced such unfair treatment. They have also questioned how Samson could lose his place after just three disappointing performances.
The criticism intensified after India’s playing XI for the fourth T20I against England was announced. Apart from captain Shreyas Iyer, the first eight players in the batting order were all left-handers. Fans pointed out that India had struggled against spin during the T20 World Cup because of its left-handed-heavy top order. They argued that the team management had turned to Samson after those struggles.
However, in a must-win match to keep the series alive, India once again fielded seven left-handed batters. Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel all failed with the bat, while Shreyas Iyer, the only right-handed batter among the top order, was the lone standout performer. The batting collapse has once again fuelled debate over India’s team selection, with many fans questioning the continued reliance on a left-handed-heavy batting lineup.