The next assignment for the India Cricket Team is the IND vs ENG series. This series will serve as a preparatory campaign for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. This means that Ishan Kishan can end his exile and make a comeback to the Indian side after more than a year.
Reports claim that Ishan Kishan is back in the hunt and is likely to be the keeper for the Men in Blue for the IND vs ENG T20I series. However, the southpaw will face stiff competition from Sanju Samson who is eager to fight and get a chance in the ICC Champions Trophy squad.
Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson – Who makes the cut?
It is believed that Rishabh Pant can be rested after a long tour of Australia. With KL Rahul likely to be rested for the entire IND vs ENG series, Pant will surely take up the keeping duties in the ODIs. However, as for the T20Is, it will be a tough battle between Samson and Ishan Kishan.
In an ideal scenario both the players deserve a call-up. But the dynamics are quite different. While Kishan hasn’t played cricket owing to his BCCI central contract snub, Sanju Samson has a century on his last T20I outing. To make matters more clear for Samson, he has 3 centuries on his last 5 T20I innings.
Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson’s Stats in T20Is
| Player | Mat | Runs | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
| Ishan Kishan | 32 | 796 | 25.67 | 124.37 | 0 | 6 | 79 | 36 |
| Sanju Samson | 37 | 810 | 27.93 | 155.17 | 3 | 2 | 66 | 46 |
In such a case both players will be tried out and tested in the series, but Samson most likely has the edge over his rival. Furthermore, this can also be a perfect opportunity for Smason to make his case for a chance in the Champions Trophy squad.
This series can also be the make or break for Smason. The Kerala batter has given his all but has consistently been overlooked in major tournaments by the BCCI. He was a part of the T20 World Cup squad but didn’t play a single game. Even so he was dropped from the Playing XI 10 minutes before the toss in the World Cup final.
Thus this series can be the impetus that Samson tries to prove. A good performance can see him going head to head with Rishabh Pant for the second keeper’s spot in ICT. Whether the BCCI then takes him or not is a discussion that can be held later on.
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