‘Sanju mera first-choice’: Ashwin comes to Samson’s defense after New Zealand series, gives witty reply

Sanju Samson may have weathered a difficult T20I series against New Zealand, but Ravichandran Ashwin didn’t let another round of criticism go by without a cheeky comeback. The former India spinner playfully lashed out at social media users who questioned his continued support of the wicketkeeper-batsman after another low score in the fifth T20I on Sunday.Samson’s struggles continued to decide the series as he was dismissed for just four runs. The social media user then tried to drag Ashwin into the debate, pointing out the batter’s disappointing running and questioning his support.“Hi Ashwin, your first pick Sanju has failed in the entire series @ashwinravi99,” the user wrote.Ashwin responded with a witty one-liner that quickly grabbed attention: “Sanju mera first choice, full-time tumhara obsession (Sanju is my first choice, it’s your full-time obsession).”

Samson’s slender run will fuel the selection debate

Samson’s scores in the five-match series were 67, 14, 18, 4 and 4. After a promising start with a half-century in the opening T20I, the right-hander struggled to build on that, managing just 40 runs in his last four outings.His inconsistent returns have fueled debate on social media over whether India should consider giving youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi an extended opportunity at the top of the order.Sooryavanshi featured in two matches during the series, scoring 4 and 45. His aggressive approach and promising knock added another dimension to the selection discussion, although the teenager is still in the early stages of his international career.

How India fared in the five-match series

India started the series strongly, winning the first three matches to take an elusive 3-0 lead. New Zealand responded by winning the fourth and fifth T20Is to end the series on a high, reducing the final margin to 3–2.