Sanju Samson With Gautam Gambhir (Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com)
Hard luck seems to follow Sanju Samson everywhere, as stellar performances still can’t earn him a spot in India’s T20I XI. As Team India faced South Africa in the first T20I, Samson was left out of the XI, which raised eyebrows.
After playing his last T20I match against Australia last month, Samson dazzled in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the domestic circuit and still faced a snub. After his recent omission, people slammed head coach Gautam Gambhir, reminding him of his own words.
In a revealing chat with Ashwin, Sanju Samson recalled Gambhir once saying he’d never drop him, even after 21 ducks. But Sanju has not scored a duck in recent times and is still being sidelined.
Gambhir’s past assurance to Samson ignites debate after latest snub
After continuous snubbing, Sanju Samson might be searching for the reason behind his hard luck. Honestly, the entire world is looking for the same answer. After some batting order shuffle, Samson has been omitted from playing XI since the third T20I against Australia, and nothing changed in the series opener against the Proteas.
Since Sanju Samson’s shocking omission, fans erupted on Gambhir, turning the spotlight on Gautam Gambhir’s old promise. Speaking with Ravichandran Ashwin in Kutti Stories, Samson revealed how Gambhir assured him about future chances.
During Samson’s rough patch, Gautam Gambhir stepped in with a bold promise, assuring him that even a string of failures wouldn’t see him dropped from the squad. He said,
“I was a bit down in the dressing room, and Gauti bhai saw it. He came up to me and asked what had happened. I told him that I didn't capitalise on the chance that I got and he was like... 'So? I'll remove you from the team only if you have scored 21 ducks.' It told me that they really trusted me, and they wanted me to do well, and that really helped me to do what I did after that.”
As Samson revealed this during August, the scenario took a 360 turn in December. The assurance became a mystery as there is no potential reason behind Samson’s omission. Despite Gambhir’s promise, he was dropped for no clear reason, as Gill returned from injury to open and Jitesh Sharma took the gloves, leaving Samson warming the bench.
No ducks, no mistakes — still no place for Sanju
Backing Sanju, Gautam Gambhir told even ducks can’t take his place, but in reality, he has been dropped from the squad without a single duck in recent times. Being named in the T20I squad against Australia, he played the second match and was omitted from the playing XI.
After coming back from the tour, Samson stepped into the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and raised his bat on high. In six matches, he scored 233 runs with a highest score of an unbeaten 73. Despite being named in the T20I squad against South Africa, he was dropped in the first game.
Sanju Samson is not leaving a stone unturned in the way of his preparation, but his consecutive snubs are raising eyebrows. After proving his worth several times, Samson’s talent has been ignored, and there is no valid reason behind that.
In the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, four more matches are left, followed by a thrilling T20 World Cup. With the opener and wicketkeeper slots already locked, Sanju Samson’s place in the XI is hanging by a thread.
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