Gautam Gambhir Supports Sanju Samson’s Return to India
India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has backed Sanju Samson after he was left out of the starting XI for the England T20I series and the squad for the T20I series in Zimbabwe later this month.
Sanju Samson’s status has been in doubt after his poor start to the series in England and Ireland, with 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi waiting in the wings. After three low scores, he lost his place to the outstanding Sooryavanshi, who participated in the second and third Twenty20 Internationals. According to Gambhir, Samson can rejoin the starting lineup with two games left.
Sanju Samson was named Player of the Tournament after India won the T20 World Cup.
He scored 321 runs in just five innings, the most of any Indian batsman in a single competition. He scored 199.37 and averaged 80.25 throughout the competition. He scored an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies in the Super 8s final, sending India to the semifinals. His double scores of 89 in the semifinal match against England and the final match against New Zealand set the stage for totals of 250 or more in each innings.
“Experienced guys need to adapt” said Gautam Gambhir.
India suffered their heaviest defeat in Twenty20 Internationals, losing by 125 runs in the third Twenty20 encounter at Trent Bridge. They were knocked out for 76 while chasing 202 after losing five wickets during the powerplay. Despite playing a fairly aggressive brand of cricket, the tourists have not been successful. Gambhir stated that the more experienced players in the middle order need to better adapt to the conditions of the game and that small nuances important in Twenty20 Internationals.
On Thursday, July 9, India and England will play their fourth Twenty20 International at Bristol. After going behind 0–2, they need to win the following game to stay in the series.
