India vs West Indies: Sanju Samson fails to grab his opportunities, adds to Men in Blue's selection headache

The recent limited-overs series against West Indies in the Caribbean and later in the United States provided a lot of India players with opportunity to stake their claim for the ODI World Cup at home that starts from October.

Sanju Samson was one of them. Every time he enters an international series, he is expected to put his best foot forward, and every time he fails, there is more pressure on him to deliver the big knocks.

Having said that, there was nothing much significant that came out of Samson’s batting during the West Indies tour. The Kerala batter cannot complain about game time, at least, after what has happened against the Windies.

He played two of the three ODIs, and played all five T20Is, having had to bat only in three of them.

And yet, the only significant knock from Samson came in the third and deciding ODI in Tarouba, where he scored 51 off 41 deliveries.

Apart from that, Samson’s scores have been largely disappointing — 9 in the other ODI he played, and 12, 7 and 13 in the three T20Is.

Sure, the fans were behind Samson all this while, but when consistent failures like this happens, it does not help one’s case.

So where did Samson fall short?

His batting position. While Samson batted at number three and four in the two ODIs respectively, he was sent in further down in the T20I series. In the three T20Is he batted in, Samson batted at number five twice and number six once.

Samson is someone who can hi from the word go, and while he is someone who can bat flexibly in any given position, he is more comfortable in the powerplay phase which eventually gives him the freedom to bat without any hesitation.

On the contrary, whenever Samson walks out to bat with India being three or four down, it’s a disadvantage because that added pressure gets into him, and as a result he becomes unable to pace his innings well.

Sanju Samson completed 6000 runs in T20.

– One of the best from India in this format. pic.twitter.com/yNRdey9ZRk

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 13, 2023

But, with Tilak Varma now seemingly auditioning for the number four spot and Suryakumar Yadav looking to play in that number three position, it’s as if Samson is left with no choice.

If the team management’s vision is that of looking at Sanju Samson as a finisher, then that clearly has not worked well. Instead, in T20Is, the management should look at more players who can go all out in the middle-overs, maybe someone like Shivam Dube or Rinku Singh, because Samson is more suited for the top or middle-order, rather than the lower middle-order.

Former batter Abhishek Nayar was of the opinion that the team management should give Samson more opportunities, and someone like Rinku Singh was more suited for number five or six.

“If you are going to play him at No. 5 or No. 6, play Rinku Singh instead. If you play Samson in the top three, you will get more out of him because he plays shots in the powerplay and then plays the spinners. So I believe not the right place but he will get opportunities,” said Abhishek on JioCinema.

Samson’s role in ODIs

On the other hand, Samson’s numbers in ODIs while batting at number five or six are slightly better. While batting at six in ODIs, Samson has 180 runs from five matches at an average of 90, while at number five, the 29-year-old has scored 104 runs from five matches, with an average of 52.

However, what puts Samson in a spot of bother is the fact that KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, the two experienced batters, are on their road to recovery and might still be in contention for the ODI World Cup.

With Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma all but set to open for India in the World Cup, that would mean KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer play in the middle-order, as they have for a while now. At number four in the 50-over format, it could be a toss-up between Suryakumar Yadav and the newest batting sensation in Tilak Varma. However, who would bat at number four is not clear yet.

So, it all comes down to where Samson bats or if Samson gets a chance in the ODI XI at all.

However, Brad Hogg, former Australia cricketer, believes that Samson can still fight for the number four batting position.

“If they go with Gill and Rohit Sharma at the top of the order with Sanju Samson at No. 4 as the Indian keeper going into that World Cup. I think he can offer something substantial in that position,” Hogg said on his Instagram page.

Hogg also said that should Rahul and Iyer not remain fit enough for the World Cup, Kishan could open with Rohit.

More depth in India’s batting unit adds more selection headache for the Indian team management. While the potential return of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer will come as a boost for India, it remains to be seen if Samson will be given one more chance or not, with less than two months remaining for the ODI World Cup.

As far as T20Is are concerned, the management should find a way to slot Samson into that number three position, especially after what happened against West Indies. Afterall, Samson has hardly batted below number four in the IPL, so why bat him in the lower middle-order in T20Is for India?

For now, Samson has to forget his recent struggles and move on. Next up for him is the three-match T20Is against Ireland in Dublin, and while he would be hoping to get another go, Samson will have to make his opportunity count. More importantly, should he be given the chance, he should welcome it with open arms and bat with more freedom.