New Delhi: Sanju Samson is one of the prime examples of those Indian cricketers boasting a lot of talent and skillset but not being able to hit the right notes while playing it out for the national side, despite being given several opportunities. He was a surprise pick in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2024, which the team ultimately won but Samson with his Rajasthan Royals (RR) counterparts wasn’t given a chance to feature in any of the clash.
While the reason remains clear that India were already sorted with their combination that was winning them games at every stage of the T20 showpiece, the management didn’t want to experiment with new add-ups in the playing XI that might hamper their quest for the coveted trophy. It is indeed a great deal and high-stakes affair if one chooses to ‘try’ at an event of such gravity, notably when you are running short of an ICC title for 11 years.
Samson along with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Yuzvendra Chahal were on the sidelines and could only play their part in the net sessions. While a set of fans criticised the team for not allowing the trio for even a single game, some felt that the decision was wise enough, regardless of the calibre and performances.
Samson in IPL 2024
As far as this year is concerned, the Trivandrum-born wicketkeeper batter had a memorable Indian Premier League 2024, where he finished as the 5th highest run-scorer of the tournament. He amassed 531 runs in the 15 innings that he featured in, at an average of 48.27 and a strike rate of 153.46. His highest score was 83 and five fifties to his name with just a duck.
It is a well-known fact that Samson has been performing quite well for Rajasthan Royals in the past few seasons. His first stint for the franchise was from 2013 to 2015 and is continuing his second stint since 2018. The last few seasons have brought very contrasting features in his IPL outings and his outings for Team India. It has been a long time since IPL has become a parameter of selection in the national team and Samson, every time gets into the team bus on the basis of the cash-rich league.
The actual problems arise when he doesn’t continue his IPL form for the Indian cricket team, even at a time when he has tremendous support behind his back. The fans and cricket pundits literally root for his selection in the team and even criticise the national electors and the team management, if need be, but when he never or hardly reciprocates, those in support question themselves if they did the right thing.
BCCI and selectors
The national selectors of the BCCI have received a lot of backlash over the years whenever they snubbed the 29-year-old from the Indian squad, mainly from the die-hard RR fans. His supporters have been loyal in vouching for him, specially when a team is announced right after the conclusion of IPL. His exploits in the IPL do tell how explosive of a batter he is and what’s his actual calibre.
India is a country of countless cricket talents and the BCCI surely goes through a problem of plenty each year over finalising a team for a particular tour. While for many players, BCCI faces criticism, it turns out, that their earlier decisions to keep Samson on the sidelines were correct “for a reason”. In the past couple of years, he has been given numerous opportunities to shine for India but his stats tell a different story altogether.
A look at Samson’s T20I, ODI stats
He debuted in T20Is back in 2015 and since then has played 30 matches in the format, scoring 414 runs at an average of 19.3 and a strike rate of 131.36. He has hit two half-centuries and has four ducks, two of which arrived in the last week itself. In the second and third T20I against Sri Lanka, Samson endured a golden duck and a 4-ball 0 respectively which brought countless memes over him on the internet.
He was a part of the last three T20Is (out of 5) against Zimbabwe – a series that preceded the Sri Lanka tour. His only silver lining was a half-century in the final T20I which was a dead rubber. This clears the air a bit if not totally that pressure indeed wears him down at big stages.
In the ODIs, he debuted in 2021 and has since played 16 matches, accumulating 510 runs at an average of 56.67 and a strike rate of 99.61. He has a century and three half-centuries in the one-day format. His highest score of 108 does tell that once he gets going, he can turn the tides for India in a game. It isn’t even like he is only a part of the second-string teams that take on “not-so-regular” opponents. But his recent performances for Team India define that he just needs to work on his mental state and pressure handling and figure out a method by which he can duplicate his IPL exploits for the Men in Blue.
Sanju Samson, one of the men in blue, hasn’t been consistent while performing duty for Team India and his recent outing in the Sri Lanka T20Is weigh in on his ‘blues’ for the national setup. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
