Legendary Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has now stepped up in Sanju Samson’s defence. He has cited the growing pressure behind Sanju Samson’s lean run and has defied the standard set by former teammate Yuzvendra Chahal, who had instead urged the Indian management to call for a change.
India lost the other day against New Zealand after a collective failure from the batting order. Following their three dominant wins in the first three T20I games, NZ won the fourth match with a commanding 50-run victory.
Several players failed to perform in that inning; however, Sanju Samson has been criticized the most. Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rinku Singh have not been short of runs like Sanju Samson. Samson scored just 40 runs in the 4 matches in the series and averaged 10 with a disappointing strike rate.
Ravichandran Ashwin cited excess pressure as the central reason behind his lean patch
Sanju Samson has been visibly struggling for form in the shortest format of the game. It marks the only format he plays for them internationally, and the recent swaps involving the player have taken away the charm from his batting.
Samson is undergoing a very lean patch despite his recent comeback to the Indian team, replacing Shubman Gill. Former Indian spinner and another Rajasthan Royals teammate of Sanju Samson, Ravichandran Ashwin, has referred to the growing pressure as one of the major reasons behind the batting struggle for Samson.
“If you are not a good player, you cannot reach here. When your mind is clouded with a lot of thoughts, it gets tough to pick the length and lines. I am very certain things are going on in his mind,” Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
He also feels that a slot should not be taken away from the player; he should be dropped if India considers Ishan Kishan for the opening slot alongside Abhishek Sharma.
“We cannot make a slot for a player. It is not about running with a player and banking on it. It is also important to tell the player to take a break. Sometimes sitting outside and reflecting can make you a better player. I don’t agree that he should go back to the middle order. You cannot make a slot for a player; then everybody else will also rotate around it,” Ashwin added.
Ashwin backs Sanju Samson to make a comeback with the bat
After identifying the concerns for Samson, Ravichandran Ashwin also went on to point out the weakness of the batter, which has almost turned into a routine for bowlers against him.
“They are bowling on the middle and leg to Sanju because he does not have a back-and-across movement. It is really getting to a point where it is pushing players. He has been pushed to a place where he has to show the bowlers something else,” Ravichandran Ashwin observed.
Ravichandran Ashwin opined that he has been trying to do things because he is getting uncomfortable with the plan, which has been repeatedly executed against him. Ashwin also suggested that Sanju has been trying to break the shackles but is yet to get results for his efforts.
“This might take time, but he is at least thinking about how to put pressure on the bowlers. That is a good sign. But he is walking a fine line, and there is pressure with Ishan sitting in the dugout,” he concluded.
Will Sanju Samson get to open in the final NZ T20I?
India already lead the series 3-1, and the final match of the series can be Sanju Samson’s final opportunity to finalise a place in the Indian T20I Playing XI for the ICC T20 World Cup. However, the bigger question lies in whether Samson would be handed a chance to feature in the upcoming game of the series.
If India are planning a move on from Samson with Ishan Kishan, then they will have to finalize a combination by making Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan play along eachother. The two are carefree strikers of the ball and might not be responsible when put together at the top.
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