Former India pacer Sreesanth has urged Sanju Samson to reevaluate his batting approach after he was overlooked by the Indian team management and BCCI selectors while naming the Men in Blue squad for the ICC World Cup 2023.
The wicket-keeper batter found no place in the 15-man squad for the World Cup and wasn't picked for the Australia ODI series either. Fans contemplated whether Samson deserved to be picked in India's ODI team, at least for the Australia series, but Sreesanth expressed his disappointment at the 'sympathy' the player is getting.
“I think it's the right decision because a player needs to understand himself. From Gavaskar sir to Harsha Bhogle sir and Ravi Shastri sir, everyone rates him highly. There's no doubt about his ability. But the approach... he doesn't listen when someone asks him to play according to pitch. He can change that attitude,” Sreesanth said to Sportskeeda.
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Sreesanth said that he even had a chat with Samson and told him to take a few balls to apply himself in the middle and have a look at how the pitch is behaving before going after the bowling. But said that he remains disappointed to see the wicket-keeper batter failing to show the sort of consistency that a player at his level should.
"Whenever I meet him, I tell him just one thing: "Sanju, please read the wicket. Wait, don't go after every bowler. Think. You can hit anyone anywhere anytime, just wait for the opportunity," he added.
He feels Samson is getting plenty of Sympathy from his fans, but not the sort of appreciation for his performances that is required to excel at this level.
“All of Malyali people who support him, including me, say he doesn't get chances. We can't say that. He got chances against Ireland and Sri Lanka, he has been playing IPL for 10 years. He has been playing since 2013, has been the captain too, and has scored just three 100s and he hasn't shown consistency," he continued.
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He further pointed out the presence of other keeper-batters like Jitesh Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh who are in the Indian squad for the Asian Games, who are vying for a spot in the main Indian team.
"I'll say, 'Waqt kisi ke liye nahi rukta' (time doesn't stop for anyone). Everyone talks about time, I'll also tell the same to Sanju. A lot of good people are coming in. Even the two keepers going for the Asia Games (Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma). When everyone's talking about you, make it count. Getting sympathy is very easy, but appreciation is difficult," he said.
Sreesanth said that Samson could succeed in all three formats of the game if he alters his mindset a little. He also added that the Kerala batter will make his comeback into the Indian team.
"He will be back. He'll play all formats: Tests, ODIs, and T20s if he changes his mindset. I don't think he'll change his mindset but I genuinely hope for Kerala cricket and Indian cricket that such a talent doesn't get wasted by only playing the IPL. I think he should change his approach but he will not... I don't want to change a person who doesn't want to change,” Sreesanth signed off.
