Wicketkeeper-batter would have expected luck to go his way with Gautam Gambhir taking charge as the new India head coach. The Kerala batter has been striving for a spot in the national team but has hardly found chances with himself benched on most occasions. Nothing changes this time too for Sanju as he is once again ignored by the selectors for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.
When Gambhir put Samson on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma level
Gambhir’s arrival should have brightened the prospects for Samson. Instead, it has worked in the backward direction. The former World Cup winning batter has been very vocal about his support for the Kerala batter, endorsing him to be picked in the side on many occasions.
Throwback to September 2020, Gambhir had asked the BCCI to treat Samson like another Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli. He went on to make a huge statement saying ‘if Sanju Samson doesn’t play for India, it’s India’s loss.’ This was after a stellar IPL season for the batter, having scored 300+ runs in the tournament for a second year consecutively. His aggressive approach had certainly impressed Gambhir.
How time flies! ‘Samson not a newbie’
Cut to May 2024 ahead of Samson being picked in the T20 World Cup squad, Gambhir made a statement which indicated he was running out of patience with Samson.
“You have that experience of playing international cricket. You are not a newbie that you will wait any longer. You have tasted international cricket and you’ve done well in the IPL, and now you have the chance to play the World Cup. So, hopefully, Sanju shows the world what he is capable of at this stage,” Gambhir had said.
What has Samson missed out on?
Samson redeemed himself with his performances against ZIM. In three games against Raza and co., Samson has 70 runs to his name, with his most crucial knock coming in the final T20I when the top-order faltered.
However, it was highly unlikely of Samson to have made it to the T20I side, given Pant is the obvious first-choice for the coach and the selectors. It was the ODI side that Samson would have been targeting. It is pertinent to point out that Samson’s last ODI outing ended with a hundred against South Africa.
Warming the bench isn’t something new for Samson but time is also running out of his hands. His future, this time around with Gambhir, is unpredictable and as always perhaps unlucky too.
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