Sanju Samson Breaks Silence on Losing Opening Spot to Shubman Gill, Reacts with Humour and Clarity
Sanju Samson opens up on losing his opening spot to Shubman Gill, stressing clear communication with team management and responding with humour.
Sanju Samson reacts after his knock in the T20I, speaking candidly about team roles and leadership communication. (AFP)
Finally, Sanju Samson has shared his opinion regarding Shubman Gill taking over his opening position in the Indian T20I setup, after the South Africa series, providing a very calm and truthful opinion on the subject.
Typically, the player from Kerala remained sitting on the bench and could only take part in the fourth T20I match after Gill got a toe injury just a few moments before the match in Lucknow. Samson was very smart to take the chance presented to him and made a fast 37 runs off 22 balls. Moreover, he showed that he was capable of playing in the top order. The final T20I match in Ahmedabad was a victory for India by 30 runs.
Earlier, Gill's reappearance in the T20I side as a vice-captain forced Samson to bat lower. With runs drying up in the middle, the 31-year-old was eventually dropped from the XI. Interestingly, Gill too has struggled to make an impact since returning, failing to score a fifty and managing scores of 4, 0 and 28 in the South Africa series.
During a post-game discussion with Irfan Pathan and Varun Aaron on JioHotstar, Sanju Samson insisted that the communication with the management has been very open. He referred to a solid mutual comprehension with head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav, and at the same time, he knows the team management's plans for a longer duration.
"The atmosphere in the team is crucial, mainly because there is a big tournament coming up. I’ve been around long enough to see what the leadership group is up to," Samson told the gathered crowd, adding that his connection with Gambhir and Suryakumar makes it possible to have a free flow of communication.
The dialogue turned out to be a very humorous one when Pathan asked a hypothetical question to Samson about opening the batting with whom he or she would be in the case of the New Zealand series. Samson, who was shocked, laughed out loud and skirted the issue instead of giving a straightforward answer.
“Bhaiya, aap karado open, main kya bolu yaar. Aise sawaal nahi puchne chahiye,” Samson joked, leaving everyone on the panel amused.
Despite scoring three centuries last year, Samson lost his opening slot after a lean series against England in January. With competition intensifying, his latest performance has once again reignited the debate over India’s T20I opening combination.
