Sanju Samson was part of the Indian plan for the World Cup, with KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer both recuperating from injury. He got a few chances to make a strong case for himself and, to be fair, could have done better with the limited opportunities he was given. But then, Suryakumar Yadav too did not do great things in the ODI format, and was yet picked based on potential. Samson, with Rahul and Shreyas both back in the squad, doesn’t even find a spot in the Asian Games team. He is nowhere to be found.
That’s why it seems unfair. If he couldn’t make the World Cup team, he should surely have gone to China. To say that he isn’t in the top 30 in the country is wrong. He has immense potential and should have been given a better deal.
Each one of us knows the potential Samson has. I, for one, was extremely excited to see Samson play the kind of shots he did in one of the ODIs against West Indies. He carted the ball to all corners of the ground and reached his 50 from 40 balls. But then, he got out soon after. Had he converted the 50 to a century, would things have been different?
Hardik Pandya played himself in and finished off well, ensuring that India got to 350. A 100 was there for the taking for Samson, in the form that he was in, and it would have made a strong statement.
But then with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Hardik rested for the first two matches against Australia, Samson deserved a place in the side. Or in the team that is now in China. And I say this because he has the ability. You only ask for better things from someone if he is good enough. Samson is, and that’s where the disappointment over him missing out stems from.
A number of people have suggested on social media that SKY hasn’t played a big knock either. Let me make one thing clear – he certainly hasn’t, and that’s a cause for both concern and disappointment. He too has potential and should have stepped up more for India in ODI cricket. The issue here is not Samson or SKY. The issue is India. By dividing ourselves into ‘Viratians’ or ‘Rohitians’, or Samson vs SKY, in this case, we tend to lose sight of the big picture. And the big picture is that India has the best chance of winning an ICC trophy, with the 50-over World Cup being played on home turf.
While Jasprit Bumrah is back after his injury travails, Iyer isn’t there yet. That’s what brings the focus back to Samson and SKY. Should Samson have been there, or is it that the selectors have looked beyond him in the 50-over format? If that’s the case, he should surely been there in China, given his T20 pedigree. The fact that he is nowhere doesn’t really seem right. He deserves better, and selectorial whims like these could end up impacting a player’s mental health. Let’s hope Samson finds a way back soon by scoring loads of runs, for that would be the best way to deal with the situation.