'This is what you need' - Sanjay Manjrekar appreciates India's left-field choice as opener in T20 World Cup warm-up game
India are facing Bangladesh in their only warm-up fixture ahead of the group-stage matches in the T20 World Cup 2024. After winning the toss, India elected to bat first on what Rohit termed ‘challenging conditions’, with 14 of the 15 players in the main squad featuring in the game.
The only player missing from the squad is the legendary Virat Kohli because he arrived only yesterday and was given a rest after a long flight to the US. The Indian team was expected to make several experiments and presented a surprise move right at the start of the innings.
Rohit Sharma came to open the innings, but his partner was not Yashasvi Jaiswal, who might open in the main event with the captain. Sanju Samson came to open with Rohit Sharma in what was a surprising move by the management.
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Sanjay Manjrekar supported India’s left-field choice, stating that’s what we need; experiments to find out the ideal combination. It was a surprising move since Samson might play in the middle-order if the team decides to rope him ahead of Rishabh Pant as a wicketkeeper batter.
Sanju Samson fails to make an impression
However, Sanju Samson couldn’t leave a mark while opening the innings, for he struggled severely in his short stay. He could only score a solitary run in six deliveries and failed to find the gaps even on loose deliveries.
Most of his shots went straight towards the fielders, leading to dot balls and building pressure on himself. Shoriful Islam dismissed him with a nip-backer, which Samson tried to manoeuvre towards the on-side but missed completely to lose his wicket.
Samson had a wonderful IPL 2024, for he was prolific against both spin and pace, leading to his selection in the T20 World Cup squad as a wicketkeeper batter. The move to open with him might have to do with India looking to test their players before the first game.
At No.3, Rishabh Pant arrived, which confirms India are looking at the performances of both wicketkeeper batters before the main event. The track hasn’t been as free-flowing so far.
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