Sanju Samson and Gautam Gambhir [Source: @BCCI, @charamshukh/x.com]
India are currently facing England in a five match T20I series at home. After the first three matches in the series, it stands at an exciting juncture with India having their heads slightly ahead with a 2-1 margin.
In the first two matches of the series, India have looked good as a bowling unit. However, they have faced some problems in the batting department. The middle-order batters have lacked resilience and the middle order has looked fragile in the second and third match of the series, especially.
One of the major factors behind the middle-order getting exposed could be largely due to the failure of the opening batters to give a solid start. The fact that Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson stitched a 41 run partnership in the first game followed by a 15 and a 16 runs partnership will strengthen the claim. In the first match India chased down the target rather easily, however in the second match they struggled and in the third they could not go past the finishing line.
While Abhishek Sharma has looked good in the first match, Samson is yet to do a good job in the series. However, the Indian management has decided to persist with the wicket-keeper batter as their opener and it seems like they will not be dropping him soon. However, this brings us to the question - How many more chances Sanju Samson will get in the T20I format? Let us delve deeper with an analytical approach into this question.
Why Drop Sanju Samson In The First Place?
Well, I agree he has not done much in the current series. But is the credibility of a player limited to only his immediate form? He has been in the best of touches recently and had been one of the most impactful batters for the team. You don't believe me? Well let me show you some stats -
Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 30 + Scores |
---|---|---|---|---|
10 | 400 | 44.44 | 184.33 | 3 |
Table - Sanju Samson's Performance In The Last 10 T20Is
Inference - The numbers show us that in the last 10 matches, Sanju Samson has not only been brilliantly consistent but also has been very impactful by scoring runs at a strike rate of over 180. The biggest plus with Sanju is whenever he has got starts, he has converted them into big scores, the 3 centuries in the last 10 innings is a proof of that.
Coming to his inconsistency, yes there have been low scores in between the big ones, but impactful batters like him will come up with days where they don't deliver as per expectations. But it is the frequency of their performances that change the complexion of a game and how they are scoring runs when they are having a good time that let's you back them and give them more chances. In that front, Sanju Samson seems sorted for now.
What Are The Other Options India Have?
Well, if you are looking to drop Sanju Samson, you must have a very good replacement ready. Let us look at the pool of players that could be in contention and compare their recent performances with that of Sanju -
Players | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shubman Gill | 21 | 578 | 30.42 | 139.28 |
Yashasvi Jaiswal | 22 | 723 | 36.15 | 164.32 |
Ruturaj Gaikwad | 17 | 500 | 35.71 | 140.06 |
Ishan Kishan | 9 | 210 | 61.88 | 121.92 |
Rishabh Pant | 5 | 71 | 14.20 | 136.54 |
Table - Performance Of Other Possible Openers For India In T20Is
Inference - These five players come up as the best probable replacements, if India is looking to keep Sanju Samson out of the playing combination. The look at the numbers clearly give us the idea that none of these players have been as consistent and as impactful when compared to the last 10 innings of Sanju Samson. You are considering Samson's last 10 innings as he has started to reach his full potential at the highest level very recently. So, when there is no better option to replace him, why the question of excluding him from the side.
Conclusion
Sanju Samson is once in a generation talent. Yes, he might be a late bloomer but the inherent talent in him and the ability of the batter to dominate oppositions cannot be ignored. The fact that he is getting regular goes more recently and has more or less stood up to the promise he showed in his early days, it is justified that few failures don't become the point of judgement. The Indian opening batter deserves a longer run and the Gautam Gambhir-led management is expected to give him the same.