Ahead of the Asia Cup 2023 and the subsequent ODI World Cup, Team India are sweating over the fitness of some of their key players like KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer.

As a result, the Indian team management is giving consistent opportunities to players like Sanju Samson in the ongoing tour of West Indies.

However, Samson has failed to make the most of the opportunities so far. In the four innings, he has aggregated 79 runs, including a half-century in the third ODI.

Samson got out for 7 off 7 balls in India’s two-wicket defeat in the second T20I in Guyana on Sunday (August 6). He threw away his wicket while charging down the track against left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein when the team needed him to stay at the crease and forge a partnership with Tilak Varma.

After the second T20I, former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel said Samson has not cashed in on opportunities and time is running out for him.

“Every time India loses, we look at the negative points. Throughout the white-ball series, there has been talk about the need for batters to bat long and it is something that has been missing so far. Every time Samson is not in the squad, we talk about him, but he has not cashed in on the opportunities he has availed of so far. Probably time is running out for him, maybes yes or maybe no,” Parthiv told Cricbuzz.

“Samson has been getting a lot of opportunities, to be honest, he is just not making the most of the opportunities that he is getting. There was only one batter who looked comfortable and that was Tilak Varma,” he added.

The defeat in the second T20I meant that the Men in Blue went 2-0 down in the five-match series. As a result, the third T20I has now become a must-win game for the visitors to stay alive in the series.

The third T20I is scheduled to be held at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Tuesday (August 8).