WI vs IND | 3 Reasons Why Sanju Samson Should Replace Suryakumar Yadav in ODIs
Sanju Samson's exclusion surprised fans and experts [Twitter]
After securing a clinical 1-0 victory in the Tests, India had a dream start to the ODI series against West Indies, crushing the hosts by five wickets in the first ODI at Bridgetown, Barbados. Bowling first, the Men in Blue restricted West Indies to a paltry 114, courtesy of incredible bowling performances from their spin twins, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. In response, Ishan Kishan slammed a flamboyant fifty and helped his side ace the chase with 27.1 overs to spare. However, barring India's emphatic win, the incident that grabbed the fans' attention was the shocking omission of Sanju Samson from India's playing XI.
Considering the unavailability of regular keeper-batters, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, it was expected that India would slot Samson in their middle order. However, surprising many, the team management decided to persist with Suryakumar Yadav, who endured yet another ODI failure, being dismissed for 19.
Therefore, as the calls for Samson's inclusion intensify, and rightly so, we provide you with three reasons why the batter from Kerala should replace Suryakumar Yadav in the Indian ODI team going forward.
Samson vs SKY: A Statistical comparison
Sanju Samson emerges as the clear winner if we compare his stats with Yadav's in ODI cricket. In 10 innings, Samson has 330 runs, including two fifties, to his name at an amazing average of 66 and a blistering strike rate of 104.76.
On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav hasn't been able to translate his T20I success in the ODIs, managing only 452 runs in 22 outings at a mediocre average of 23.79.
Sanju Samson: 10 innings, 330 runs, Avg- 66, SR- 104.76
Suryakumar Yadav: 22 innings, 452 runs, Avg- 23.79, SR- 100.67
Therefore, as we can see from the stats above, Samson has capitalised on whatever chance he has got, unlike Yadav, who has repeatedly found it tough to get going in ODIs.
The art of innings building
Suryakumar Yadav has failed miserably as an ODI batter [Twitter]
Despite being a prolific performer in T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav has found ODI cricket a tough nut to crack. The primary reason behind it is his inability to build innings in the middle overs, a trait which a middle-order batter must possess in order to succeed in ODIs. His natural game is tailor-made for T20Is, where he bats with a clearer mindset. The sooner the Indian management realises it, the better it will be for the team as well as the player.
On the contrary, Samson has shown promising signs despite featuring sporadically in the ODI setup. His gutsy 63-ball 86*, while chasing a steep 250 on a challenging track against South Africa in October last year, indicated he had much more to offer to the ODI side if handled properly. So, this is another area where Samson clearly has an edge over Yadav.
Like for Like replacement of KL Rahul
Before getting injured, KL Rahul had established himself as a dependable number five in the Indian middle order. However, as he continues to rehab, India must prepare a wicket-keeper, who can bat in the middle order, as his backup. And at the moment, nobody seems better equipped to do the job than Samson, who, despite being incredibly talented, has warmed the benches for a significant part of his career.
To be honest, the outcome of the series won't be affected if Suryakumar Yadav plays the remaining two ODIs. But if India are serious about the ODI World Cup, they should replace the Mumbai batter with Samson and give the latter a consistent run before the showpiece event.
 "Debashis Sarangi")
