Indian opener Sanju Samson was brought back into the XI as an opener after the Board of Selectors planned a move on from Shubman Gill following his lack of form in the shortest format of the game. However, Samson has also been a major upset for India in the series against NZ, which marks the final preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
India lost their first match in the T20I series in yesterday’s clash in Visakhapatnam. India came off a bitter memory in the ODI series, when the Blackcaps crushed the Men in Blue by a 2-1 margin after back-to-back losses in Rajkot and Indore.
Coming into the T20I series, the head coach had his morale fueled up as Suryakumar Yadav led the Men in Blue to yet another series victory. The captain himself led from the front while Abhishek Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Rinku Singh and Ishan Kishan all performed to their very best.
Sanju Samson fails yet again; Departs after a good start in the Fourth T20I against NZ
Sanju Samson, the Indian wicket-keeper batsman, was made to sit out on the bench for the majority of the Australia tour and the South Africa T20I series as well. However, the right-handed batter made a comeback in the final game of the South Africa series.
With Shubman Gill managing just 291 runs in 15 T20I innings, Samson was cited as India’s opener for the ICC T20 World Cup; however, the wicket-keeper has failed to perform according to the faith of the selectors. He has been crushed by the pressure, and an obvious flaw has been noted in his batting style.
With the World Cup knocking at the door, Samson has scores of 10, 6, 0 and 24 in four matches against New Zealand. After having made a good-looking start against the Kiwis in Visakhapatnam, he was dismissed at a crucial juncture of the game, which left the team in a soup.
Sunil Gavaskar exposes Sanju Samson’s biggest flaw
Sanju Samson’s weaknesses are now known to the public as well. He was dismissed on the foot attempting to pull off a short-pitched delivery in the first game, and then his wide stance and lack of footwork have resulted in him getting cleaned up by Kiwi bowlers who have simply targeted the three stumps.
Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar, who was on commentary during Sanju Samson’s innings in Visakhapatnam, pointed out the same. He barely moved his feet and exposed the three stumps to Mitchell Santner, who left his stumps rattled.
“My first impression is that there was no footwork at all. Not very sure whether there was any turn. First impression was he was just standing there making room and playing through the offside,” Gavaskar said on commentary.
Gavaskar also pointed out that Samson has been too premeditated while choosing his shots. He is almost sending a telegram to the bowler before he even reaches the crease to deliver, and hence, bowlers are getting him dismissed with ease.
“Like I said, hardly any movement of the feet. Going outside leg-stump, once again exposing all three stumps, and when you miss, the bowler’s gonna hit, and that’s what happened to Sanju Samson the second time around,” Gavaskar added.
New Zealand handed India their first defeat of the series in Visakhapatnam
India were unbeatable in the series until now. However, after having posed a good opening partnership, the Kiwis posted a huge total of 215 runs on the board, and the Indians had to chase it down with just 6 specialist batters in the side.
Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, the two in-form batters, were dismissed early, while Ishan Kishan was not part of the XI for this match. Sanju Samson and Rinku Singh’s brief partnership saw them through the powerplay, but not much after that, Samson was dismissed by Santner.
Shivam Dube, the lanky left-handed batter, has shown some glimpses of promising batting form. He was unbeaten with a promising hand in the second T20I win in Raipur and then scored a brilliant 23-ball 65 in Visakhapatnam. His innings came when wickets kept falling from the other end.
Dube was clearing the fence with ease and never looked in a mood to let go of the chase so easily; however, he faltered just once, and Matt Henry quickly grabbed the opportunity to run him out. This marked the end of India’s hopes, and New Zealand won their first game in the series by 50 runs.
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