After Sanju Samson’s problems in the fifth T20I match against the West Indies at Lauderhill, Florida, former India selector Saba Karim aggressively responded to a fan on Sunday, August 13.
The supporter emphasised the importance of Samson seizing opportunities, bringing comparisons to MS Dhoni’s significant early performances that helped him earn a spot on Team India. The supporter emphasised how Dhoni’s match-winning innings of 148 against Pakistan and 183* against Sri Lanka cemented his standing. Samson, in comparison, hasn’t yet delivered such a pivotal innings for India despite his talent.
“MS Dhoni never looked back after hitting 148 in his fifth game for India. He hit 183* in a short period of time, solidifying his position on the team. For India, Sanju Samson needs to have a strong performance, which is reasonable given his talent. His biggest opportunity, in my opinion, came in the third ODI. Sadly, he hasn’t performed that calibre of knock for India. We’ll undoubtedly witness a breakthrough shortly.
While I agree, why can’t Sanju Samson be given the order? Saba Karim tweeted, “Sourav did that with MSD and hit a bullseye!!!”
Saba The importance of batting positions was underscored by Karim’s remark. He used Sourav Ganguly as an illustration, who gave up his spot at No. 3 in order to accommodate MS Dhoni. Karim said, drawing a comparison to Ganguly’s tactical move, that Samson might also be sent up the order.
Samson batted at No. 5 in the fifth T20I match against the West Indies, getting 13(9) before losing. His efforts to steady the innings fell short, however, as India lost by eight wickets. Samson scored 12(12) and 7(7) in his last two T20I appearances while batting at No. 6 and No. 5, respectively. Unfortunately, the visitors lost both games by a mere four runs and two wickets, respectively.