When he is at his best, he is a standout performer, but his lack of consistency is evident in the ongoing T20I series against England.
Sanju Samson’s current T20I form has been a matter of concern for India. Not so long ago, scoring consecutive hundreds against Bangladesh and then another in the series against South Africa led everyone to assume that he had cemented his opening slot despite the competition.
However, inconsistency has always been a feature of Sanju’s career. When he is at his best, he is a standout performer, but his lack of consistency is evident in the ongoing T20I series against England.
If you check his last ten T20I scores – 29, 10, 111, 107, 0, 0, 109, 26, 5, and 3 – the inconsistency is clear.
He has scored three centuries, which is impressive, but his other scores are quite low. If you exclude his three hundreds, he has only 73 runs in the remaining seven innings, which is not a good record.
Before the England series, he played five matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and managed just one half-century. Given his talent and the opportunities he is getting, Sanju needs to score more runs, otherwise, his opening spot could be at risk.
ALSO READ:
Sanju Samson’s dismissals in all three innings of the series against England revealed a weakness against short balls, particularly when fast bowlers targeted his body. So far, Jofra Archer has bowled short deliveries at Sanju, and every time he has tried to attack, he has been caught.
He has struggled with short-pitched deliveries in general, not just dismissals. He frequently attempts to play off the back foot but fails to connect properly. His struggles against pacers are not new, he was also dismissed by fast bowlers in his previous four SMAT matches.
This does not diminish the three centuries he has scored in his last ten innings, but the difference in the quality of bowling he has faced in those games versus now is obvious. If he does not improve on this weakness, he will struggle because fast bowlers who can bowl at speeds above 140 km/h will continue to be a major challenge.
For the opening slot, Sanju Samson faces strong competition. Currently, he opens the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma, but it won’t be long before Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal return, as they are only absent due to commitments in other major tournaments in Tests or ODIs.
Shubman Gill, being the vice-captain in white-ball cricket, is likely to secure one spot, while Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is in outstanding form across formats, is also expected to make his way back into the team.
Sanju has little time to demonstrate his consistency, which he has so far lacked. Given his talent, he must score runs consistently; otherwise, his position will be at risk, and he may end up on the bench, as he was during the T20 World Cup 2024.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
