When it rains, it pours. As if not getting to play even one match in the T20 World Cup wasn’t enough, Sanju Samson has wasted the rare opportunity he has gotten in the Sri Lanka T20I series. With Rishabh Pant rested, the wicketkeeper batter had himself a golden opportunity to prove his worth. He’d departed for the golden duck in the last match and had a chance to make things right. But all he could muster was a 4-ball duck, handing Chamindu Wickramasinghe his first international wicket.
Opponents and wasted chances
Two consecutive ducks might not affect a player like Pant, but for someone like Sanju Samson, who’s never been a regular on the Indian cricket team, it might be the end of his career. The batter from Kerala isn’t just fighting for a spot against Pant, but even up-and-coming stars like Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad are already waiting in line after performing much better than him.
Abhishek scored a 46-ball century about three weeks ago, and Ruturaj was arguably the best player on the Zimbabwe tour, yet both couldn’t find a spot for the Sri Lanka T20Is. Meanwhile, Samson wastes two opportunities. He gets lucky that Shubman Gill’s injury causes him to sit out, but he manages a golden duck while opening. On the second chance, where Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav decided to test their bench strength, he got out to a debutant.
In both matches, had ample time to settle in. I had the whole powerplay to maximize but failed to use it. All he needed was to cross the 30-run mark to ensure that he’ll have a chance in the future, but the poor display in the last two matches might mean that Sanju Samson won’t feature in the T20I side anytime soon.
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