Having thrown away a good start in the first T20I against Sri Lanka, the onus was on Sanju Samson to play a big knock in the second match. Unfortunately, Samson yet again disappointed in the second match played on Wednesday, 29 July.
The flamboyant batsman looked off-color and managed to score only seven runs before being dismissed bowled in a bizarre manner.
The Kerala batsman has failed to make an impact on the international circuit. In nine T20Is, he has scored 117 runs at a strike rate of 113.59. In the solitary ODI that he played earlier this month, he got off to a very good start but could not convert it into a big score.
Samson is one of the competitors for the middle-order slot in India's ICC T20 World Cup 2021 squad. However, with players like Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan, performances like the one in the second T20I will only make it difficult for the Rajasthan Royals’ skipper.
Former India batsman Aakash Chopra however, is still hopeful of a good show from Samson in the third and final T20I and said that people expect big things from him because he is capable of producing big knocks.
“I am still hopeful of Sanju Samson doing well. I know he is not batting at the position that he is comfortable at. Sanju Samson has only played nine matches. You have expectations from those players who, you know, have the capability.
Sanju Samson has that ability to perform. He is comparatively more experienced compared to the others, maybe not at the international level but definitely in the IPL. He has been playing the IPL for a long time and is even the captain of a franchise (Rajasthan Royals). I have high hopes from him,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Chopra added that captain Shikhar Dhawan needs to play sensibly as he has done throughout the series. He believes that Dhawan and Samson will be the key to India’s chances in the third T20I.
“Shikhar Dhawan needs to keep playing in a sensible manner that he has been doing. Dhawan and Sanju Samson will be the pillars of the batting lineup in the final T20I. What the others like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devdutt Padikkal, and Nitish Rana score will be a bonus.
If Dhawan and Sanju Samson take India to a par score, then you never know what can happen. This Sri Lankan team doesn’t know how to cross the finish line. Even in the second T20I, they got stuck a bit,” he said.
The third and final T20I will take place on Thursday, 29 July.
