Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth has launched a fiery defense of Sanju Samson, saying the wicket-keeper batsman has been treated unfairly despite proving his worth at the top of the order in T20 internationals.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Never one to mince his words, Srikkanth has expressed his frustration at Samson’s constant reshuffle of batting position, which he feels has dented the Kerala cricketer’s rhythm and confidence.
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“The most unlucky one is Sanju Samson,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel. “He scored centuries as an opener. But now they send him everywhere – from No. 3 to No. 8. If he gets the chance, they can even send him at No. 11! A person like Sanju will naturally feel bad when he does so well at the top, but he has no choice but to be tight and bat where the team asks him to.”Since India’s triumph in the T20 World Cup in 2024, Samson has been one of their most explosive openers, smashing three centuries and averaging 37 at a strike rate of 183 in just 13 innings. His partnership with Abhishek Sharma at the top was crucial in India’s new aggressive T20 template.
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However, with Shubman Gill’s return to the T20I set-up during the Asia Cup, Samson moved down the order – batting at No.5 thrice, No.3 once and not even getting to bat until No.8 against Bangladesh. Despite the inconsistency, Samson played a pivotal game in the Asia Cup final, scoring a valuable 21-ball 24 in India’s thrilling last-match win against Pakistan.Srikkanth, though critical of Samson’s treatment, remains optimistic about his future. “The only good thing is that he did well at No. 5 in the Asia Cup. It’s a good sign as Sanju is now the automatic first choice wicketkeeper in the T20 World Cup,” he said.Looking ahead, the former India opener predicted that the XI that played the opening T20I against Australia in Canberra is “more or less a World Cup team”, with Harshit Rana replacing Hardik Pandya.“The team is almost ready,” concluded Srikkanth. “Now it’s just about getting match practice and rhythm before the World Cup.”
