‘Vaibhav will do very well but…’: Dinesh Karthik settles the Sanju Samson vs Sooryavanshi debate

Sanju Samson of India (ANI Photo) Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has backed Sanju Samson despite his poor form in the opener, insisting the veteran batsman deserves more support even as calls for teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continue to grow.Samson’s struggles continued in the opening T20I against England at Chester-le-Street where he fell cheaply after India elected to bat first. It was his third consecutive low score as he also endured a disappointing run against Ireland, sparking fresh debate over whether Sooryavanshi should be given an opportunity. However, Karthik feels that it would be premature to make a change.“Sanju Samson has failed a bit again. Three innings on the bounce means the calls are coming nice and loud for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but I still hope he backs someone like Sanju Samson because he did the job under pressure in the T20 World Cup a few months ago, so we have to back him,” Cric Karthik said.He also called for patience with the highly rated youngster.“Vaibhav needs to earn the right to play in this eleven even though he is extremely talented and I have no doubt that he will do very well in international cricket,” he added.Karthik also reflected on India’s surprising decision to bat first despite overcast conditions and the constant threat of rain, suggesting that the team’s recent 0-2 series defeat in Ireland played a significant role in this match.“India electing to bat was a good decision, although of course there was always a bit of weather around the corner… The general tendency is to go for totals,” he said.“It was a bit off and an awkward evening because there was always rain around the corner, but I think the Irish hangover was there a bit. So India decided, ‘we’re not going to chase and bat first’.”Initially, India’s resolve seemed to have failed as they slumped to 6 for 2 in the first two overs after Samson and Ishan Kishan were dismissed early. However, captain Shreyas Iyer and Abhishek Sharma salvaged the innings with contrasting half-centuries to steer India to a competitive 189 for 7 before persistent rain washed away England’s chase.Karthik reserved special praise for Iyer, who was under pressure after managing just 13 runs in two matches during the Ireland series. The skipper responded with a composed 68 off 47 balls to lead India’s recovery.“He wanted to take the pressure off, so he was batting nicely,” remarked Karthik. “He had to be under pressure because as a leader you have to talk to the bat first and he knew that. The captain needed to put his hand up and say, ‘I’m the captain, I’m going to get the runs’, and he did that quite nicely.”While Iyer has responded to his critics, Samson’s lean patch remains an issue heading into the second T20I at Old Trafford. With Sooryavanshi waiting in the wings, the pressure on the opener only increases, but Karthik believes the team management should continue to show faith in the veteran batsman rather than making hasty changes.