You got to make the most of them: Sunil Gavaskar urges Sanju Samson to grab his chance in Ireland

Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar has claimed that Sanju Samson's talent is beyond doubt, but the stylish Kerala batsman needs to make the most of his opportunities to warrant a permanent place in the national team.

Samson's absence from the Indian T20I squad for the recent home series against South Africa did not go down well with fans, who believe that the right-hander deserves a consistent run of opportunities to nail his place in the team.

He has been picked for the upcoming T20Is against Ireland, and it remains to be seen whether the right-hander can make the most of the opportunities.

Samson has been an enigma in Indian cricket over the last decade. Blessed with the gift of timing a cricket ball to perfection against both pace as well as spin, the right-hander has flattered to deceive more often than not due to his inconsistency.

In the recent IPL season, he scored 458 runs in 17 innings at a blistering strike rate of 146.79. However, he was criticised by former cricketers, including Gavaskar and Simon Doull, for not converting his starts into big knocks.

Speaking to Star Sports, Gavaskar said:

"Everybody deserves more chances, but you got to make the most of them. What has led Sanju Samson down, because all of us know the tremendous ability that he has, is his shot selection while playing for India," 

"He looks to attack from the first ball, and even in T20Is, there is an opportunity to get your feet going, get your eye, you know, with the light and pitch, etc.," he added.

"So, yes, if his shot selection gets better, then he will be so much more consistent whether it is for India or his franchise. Then there will be nobody asking questions about his place in the team," Gavaskar pointed out.

Samson made his international T20 debut against Zimbabwe back in 2015 but has managed to add just 13 caps to his tally since.

He hasn't received consistent opportunities in recent years, but the 27-year-old has done little to improve his chances. Samson has scored just 174 runs at an average of 14.5 and a strike rate of over 120.

With the battle for places heating up, the upcoming T20Is against Ireland will be very crucial for Samson as he aims to hold down a place in the T20 World Cup squad.