Former India player Aakash Chopra has questioned the decision to drop Sanju Samson in the third T20I against Australia. He pointed out that the team management had previously expressed confidence that the wicketkeeper-batter could perform effectively in the middle order.
India is set to face Australia in the fourth T20I of the five-match series in Gold Coast on Thursday, November 6. While Sanju Samson featured in the playing XI for the first two T20Is, Jitesh Sharma replaced him in the third game, which India won by five wickets in Hobart on November 2.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ the former India opener questioned why Samson was dropped despite the team’s belief in his ability to succeed down the order.
“The biggest question that is looming large is what have we decided about Sanju Samson? Sanju not playing is a big, big, big question as to why we are doing like that. We played Sanju and he had done decently as well. I won’t say he had done extraordinarily, but he was okay. You made him bat up the order against Oman and he scored a fifty,” Chopra said.
He added, “You played him in the Asia Cup final and he scored a few runs. You only told us that he can bat down the order. We were saying you should make him open only, and if you are not doing that, play Jitesh. That was my original position, but you said you will be able to take care of Sanju Samson and will play him, and you know what you are doing. We respected that.”
Sanju Samson has scored 995 runs at an average of 25.51 in 43 T20I innings. However, in 10 innings batting below number 4, he has accumulated 169 runs at a slightly lower average of 21.13.
In the same video, Aakash Chopra expressed confusion over dropping Samson after just one failure in the ongoing T20I series against Australia.
“You played him, the team won the Asia Cup, and we clapped. After that, his batting didn’t come in Canberra. Okay sir, no problems. You sent him at No. 3 in Melbourne. Surprise, but we say okay sir, but then you dropped him. Now I am unable to understand whether I should again say okay sir, because it’s not understandable what we are trying to do,” Chopra remarked.
However, the former cricketer acknowledged the logic behind Jitesh Sharma keeping his place in the XI for the fourth T20I.
“So whether Sanju Samson will play or not is a big question, in my opinion. If Jitesh was played and he has performed decently as well, scored 20-odd runs, logic says you will stay with him, but whether you will, I don’t know sir. I don’t have the answer to that question,” Chopra observed.
Jitesh Sharma scored a crucial unbeaten 22 off 13 deliveries in the third T20I against Australia. He also forged an unbroken 43-run sixth-wicket partnership with Washington Sundar (49* off 23) to help India draw level in the series.
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*Edited by Kartik Iyer*
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