Sanju Samson is one of the players who has never had a steady role in the Indian team. The cricketer was part of the New Zealand series but was dropped when the team headed to Bangladesh, and has now been re-called to the squad for the forthcoming ODI series against the West Indies.
In the absence of Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, he will get another chance to prove his worth, and if he performs well, the stumper-batter might very well secure his place in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Meanwhile, former India head coach Ravi Shastri remarked that Samson, 28, is yet to achieve his full potential. Shastri described him as a match-winner and stated that he will be unhappy if the Kerala-born cricketer does not conclude his career as a star player.
“Sanju (Samson) is yet to realise his potential. He is a match-winner. There is something that is missing. I will be disappointed if he does not finish his career all guns blazing. It is like when I was the coach, I would have been disappointed if Rohit Sharma had not played in my side as a regular Test player. Hence, his opening the batting. I feel similar with Sanju,”
Shastri was quoted as saying by The Week.
With players like KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, and Prasidh Krishna currently out of action, Ravi Shastri believes that the team management should always have a pool of 15-20 players ready.
Shastri claimed that he kept Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar ready for the 2020-21 Border Gavaskar Trophy, and that they went on to play a key part in the fourth Test against Australia at the Gabba.
“You have a lot of injuries these days. I always like a pool of 15-20. You should always be prepared, you should have a plan B, plan C. For example, when we went to Australia for that famous series in 2021, we took about 30 players. On the flight, there was Shardul Thakur and I think there was Washi [Washington Sundar], who were chatting with me.”
“And I said, ‘This is not a holiday. Do not think this is a holiday where you are a net bowler. You can play any time. So start preparing from day one.’ And, lo and behold, here comes the last Test with no one else to pick. These guys play and do a wonderful job,”
Shastri added.
For more Sports updates please follow us on Twitter
