Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has claimed that Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav should install him as India’s No. 3 batsman and suggested that Sanju Samson should not be constantly moved up and down the batting order.
India began their T20 campaign in Australia with a humiliating defeat in Melbourne after their first match in Canberra was washed out by rain. Despite being sent to the starting position, Samson’s performance in the series was disappointing. 3.
There has been a big decline in Sanju Samson’s form since he was dropped from the opening position in the Indian team. Throughout the Asia Cup, he was sent at number 5, but when he was sent at number one, he scored a half-century.
Sanju Samson gives his opinion on the role of Suryakumar Yadav in the Indian batting order.
India managed to score just 125 runs in the second T20I against Australia at the MCG, raising some serious concerns over the Indian coach’s strategy on tracks other than the flat pitches of the subcontinent.
“As far as Sanju Samson is concerned, if he keeps moving up and down the batting order like this, I am not sure how effective it will be,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
Samson was once again in focus and was promoted up the order; However, he could not be effective in the role. If he wants to remain in the T20 team for a long time, he will have to learn to bat in the middle order. Irfan Pathan suggested that every player should be given a certain position in the team.
“I know that in T20 cricket, apart from the openers, no one really has a fixed position, and flexibility is important. But in the name of flexibility, you should not become so flexible that you lose the stability that comes with defined roles. The Indian team really needs to focus on this,” Pathan warned.
Sanju Samson gets stern warning to score runs for India
While Suryakumar Yadav has also failed to deliver promising performances for India since taking over the captaincy, Irfan Pathan has now suggested that he establish himself at No. 3, a position where he used to bat under Rohit Sharma.
Finally, Pathan issued a stern warning to Sanju Samson to score some runs in Australia as the support will not be extended for long, as he has failed to get promising performances under his belt.
The former all-rounder concluded, “There is no doubt that he is getting the support he needs. But if a player gets three or four failures in a row, that support can quickly wear off. Hopefully that will not happen with Sanju Samson.”
Irfan Pathan highlights the shortcomings of the reshuffle order
Not just Samson, Suryakumar, or Tilak Verma, but the Indian lower order too has seen frequent changes in the T20I setup. They are still in the experimental phase, as Harshit Rana was sent ahead of Shivam Dubey.
“When you keep changing a player’s role again and again, things naturally keep changing. Playing against the old ball in the middle overs, which Sanju Samson did during the Asia Cup, is very different from opening the innings where he scored three centuries,” Pathan said about the shortcomings of changing batting order.
He concluded, “It requires a different mindset and a lot of mental strength, along with strong support from the team.”
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