Since the Indian squad for the World Cup 2023 was announced, there have been talks about the deserving players who couldn’t make it to the team.
Since the Indian squad for the World Cup 2023 was announced, there have been talks about the deserving players who couldn’t make it to the team. There have also been plenty of discussions about some of the players, like Suryakumar Yadav, who were selected without consistent performances. Given that only 15 players were allowed in the squad, some deserving ones were bound to be left out.
Among all the non-inclusions, Sanju Samson has been the biggest talking point among experts and viewers. Despite doing quite well in whatever chances he got, Sanju couldn’t make it in the original squad for the World Cup 2023. He was one of the most consistent players in the last year or so, but Suryakumar Yadav, who hasn’t done anything significant with the willow in the ODIs, was preferred over Samson for some reason.
Since 2022, Samson has had 344 runs at a magnificent average of 57.33 and a strike rate of 104.55 in 11 ODI innings. He also amassed three half-centuries to make a case for himself in the World Cup. However, the team management showed trust in Suryakumar, probably due to the supreme batting expertise of Yadav.
Also Read: Should Mohammed Shami be in India’s starting XI for the World Cup?
Now, Sreesanth has expressed his views on the exclusion of Sanju Samson, terming his exclusion a correct move by the selectors. The former Indian pacer also gave his reasoning behind his opinions.
While having a chat with Sportskeeda, S Sreesanth opened up about the axing of Sanju Samson from the World Cup squad. According to him, the team has made the right decision by not picking Samson. Sreesanth feels Sanju should change his attitude and play according to the game situation.
“I think it’s the right decision because it’s very important for a player to understand himself,” exclaimed Sreesanth. “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 the pitch. He can change that attitude.”
Sanju Samson’s inconsistency has been a major problem right from the start. He is reckless at times and known to play unnecessary shots. While Sanju has a fine average to back his case, his careless approach might have been one of the reasons for his exclusion.
Sreesanth also added that Sanju should keep working on his game because several other wicketkeeper batters are rising through the ranks to make life difficult for Sanju.
“I’ll say, ‘Waqt kiske 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.”
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