Faf du Plessis, Anil Kumble credit India’s off-spin crisis for Sanju Samson’s rise

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Faf du Plessis, Anil Kumble credit India’s off-spin crisis for Sanju Samson’s rise

Former South African batter Faf du Plessis and legendary Indian spinner Anil Kumble have gone on to credit the recent struggles of Indian batsmen against off-spin as the major foundation behind Sanju Samson’s rise and his heroic innings.

After Sanju Samson’s captivating innings helped them take control of the Indian innings, which looked like it was falling apart at some stage, the batter has been praised by every former and current player of the cricket fraternity. Amid praise for Sanju Samson’s innings, the left-handers have to face the heat of criticism.

Faf du Plessis supports the wild claim on Sanju Samson

The cricket experts from India on ESPNCricinfo went on to conduct a rapid-fire round for the two former players, Anil Kumble and Faf du Plessis. The very first question was an interesting criticism for India, where he asked, “The ‘offspin crisis’ proved to be a blessing in disguise for India. Yes or No?”

Faf du Plessis agreed with a ‘Yes’, and Anil Kumble also backed him with the same response. These responses came behind the fact that the Indian left-handed top-order struggles against off-spin, and Kishan’s early dismissal against Aiden Markram in the match against South Africa propelled the Indian team to bring Sanju Samson into the XI.

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Du Plessis then went on to explain the best aspect of Sanju Samson’s match-winning 97* off 50 balls. He said, “Everything. His control of that inning was an absolute masterclass. And how he chased the total down. He never looked like he was panicking. There was no frustration.”

“He was just timing the ball, reacting accordingly; it was so beautiful to watch someone in control of an inning like that,” the South African added.

Faf du Plessis rates Tilak Varma’s handy 27 a minor ‘7’

Du Plessis projected his opinion on several different aspects of the game. He said that the West Indies would have been happy enough with the way they ended their power play without losing a wicket. It was rather in the post-powerplay phase that they would have expected to go a little harder than they did.

Du Plessis also did not put the entire blame on West Indian skipper Shai Hope, who played a very slow knock, which, according to many, affected West Indies’ initial rate of scoring runs. He said that he did not just find the middle of his bat, and yet a single player could not be blamed.

However, du Plessis agreed that a bit more intensity after the powerplay or Shimron Hetmyer coming in early and using the force could come in handy for the Windies.

Next, speaking of Indian batter Tilak Varma’s cameo and its impact on the result, du Plessis rated it a 7 out of 10, implying that though he credits the innings, he doesn’t consider it to be a game-changer.

Shivam Dube’s ability to win the big moments isn’t celebrated enough – Faf du Plessis

An interesting question was put forward to the former South African great, asking whether he feels that Shivam Dube’s ability to win the big moments isn’t celebrated enough. To this, du Plessis not only said no but also made a mockery of the Indian all-rounder.

“I think if he has a big moment, people will celebrate it,” Faf mocked Dube. Dube finished the game nicely for India and picked up two boundaries in the 19th over of the game when India needed them. Dube’s 10 runs off 4 balls with two fours and a leg-bye double helped Sanju Samson.

He then further went on to agree to the fact that, despite having missed out on their chance to qualify for the semi-finals, this is arguably one of the finest West Indies teams the world had witnessed since 2016.

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