Former India opener Kris Srikkanth criticized head coach Gautam Gambhir for the way he handled Sanju Samson after the second T20I of the five-match series in Australia. Srikkanth said that Samson’s frequent changes in batting position are making it difficult for him to settle down mentally or prepare for a defined role.
India’s strategy of constantly tinkering with the batting order came under criticism. After the dismissal of Shubman Gill, Samson was sent to number 3. The team management had said that Samson needed to adapt to the middle-order role in T20 Internationals, which has added to the confusion over the team’s plans.
Can’t understand what they are doing with Sanju Samson – Kris Srikkanth
Speaking on his YouTube channel after the Melbourne T20I, Kris Srikkanth questioned why Sanju Samson was being shifted to a new position in almost every game. He pointed out that Samson has been used anywhere between No. 3 and No. 8, making it impossible for him to understand his role.
Srikkanth said, “I don’t understand what they are doing with Sanju Samson. He bats at number five in a match and then suddenly he bats at number 4, 6, 7 or 8. And in this match he bats at number three.”
“It is not fair, you have to give a certain position. Mentally, only then can a batsman make up his mind. You cannot just shuffle the batting order. You are spoiling the confidence of the guy, which is not fair,” he said.
Samson was out LBW after scoring just two runs in four balls. He played as India’s T20I opener last year, but the return of Shubman Gill has pushed him into a middle-order role. Constant changes have left Samson without any fixed position.
Sending Sanju Samson to No. 3 was an unexpected reaction – Kris Srikkanth
Srikkanth termed India’s decision to send Sanju Samson at No. 3 due to seaming conditions as a nervous move. Srikkanth also said that Suryakumar Yadav had grabbed a one-drop situation in the opening game, where India were in a good position at 97/1 before rain intervened.
“Sending him at No. 3 was an unexpected reaction. They sent him there when the ball was moving around and he couldn’t do anything either. You are spoiling the balance of the team, forget about the individual. Just because there was some inclination in the wicket, you sent Sanju to bat and he was out immediately,” Srikkanth said.
Sanju Samson may not have even prepared his pads – Chris Srikkanth
The former captain also said that Samson was not even ready to bat at number 3. He said that Samson expected Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma to come ahead of him.
“He might not have even prepared his pads and would have thought that Suryakumar Yadav would be out at 3, followed by Tilak Verma at 4 and himself at 5. As soon as he saw the ball rotating, Sanju was asked to be out at 3. How is this possible, doesn’t a batsman need to be mentally prepared?” Srikanth said further.
Changes in India’s batting order proved costly as they were bundled out for just 125 runs inside 19 overs. Australia easily completed the chase with four wickets remaining in the 14th over and took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Also read: Babar Azam becomes world number 1 by defeating Rohit Sharma; Wasim Akram rejected the insulting claim
