Former India opener Aakash Chopra reckons that Sanju Samson will be under immense pressure to hold onto his place in the T20I playing XI after Ishan Kishan’s blazing knock in Raipur against New Zealand. According to Chopra, if Samson fails in the third T20I in Guwahati, he would have to make way for Tilak Varma if the latter is fit to feature in the last two matches of the series.
Samson has registered scores of 10 and 6 in the two T20Is played against New Zealand. On Friday, January 23, Kishan slammed 76 off 32 balls as the Men in Blue thumped the Kiwis by seven wickets in the second T20I. With the comprehensive win, India took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Chopra stated that Samson will have to score runs in Guwahati to retain his place in the playing XI when Varma is fit and available. Praising Kishan‘s fantastic innings, he commented:
“Comebacks are tougher than debuts. And after getting dismissed for not too much in the first game, very few people will go out with the same kind of bravado and confidence like Ishan did in the second game. So he has done his chances no harm. Pressure on Sanju now. If he scores the runs, he stays afloat. Otherwise, it’s Ishan Kishan who will be playing in Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram.”
Chopra added that while Kishan needs to be credited for grabbing his opportunities, his comeback seems like one scripted by destiny. Giving the example of Sarfaraz Khan, he explained:
“Well, Kishan was supposed to be the backup keeper. So a lot of things have to go right for you to actually shine. Ishan Kishan is a fine example of that because it’s not just the amount of runs that you score. If that was the case, Sarfaraz Khan would have been playing for India in every Test that has happened in the last 12 months. But that does not work that way.
“So, you score runs. Team India pivots. They drop their vice-captain. They get a keeper to open. But again, Ishan is a backup keeper. And then a top-order left-handed batter gets injured for the first three games. And therein, Sanju also fails. This is not the script that you write yourself. There is somebody else who’s taking care of that script,” the 48-year-old added.
Kishan hit 11 fours and four sixes in his knock in Raipur before being dismissed by Ish Sodhi. He added 122 for the third wicket with Suryakumar Yadav (82* off 37) after the Men in Blue lost two wickets for six runs.
“Feels a little daunting” – Aakash Chopra on the tricky aspect of Ishan Kishan in top 3
While Chopra backed Kishan to retain his place ahead of Samson if the latter fails in the next game, he wondered if India would be okay with three left-handers in the top three. In case Varma is fit for the last two T20Is, India would have a top three with all southpaws – Abhishek Sharma, Kishan and Varma.
“The question that India will have to ponder is, are they okay with three left-handers as 1, 2 and 3? There’s nothing wrong in it. We have seen top three as right-handers many a time. Maybe even in the last World Cup, we had top three as right-handers. So it’s not new. But three left-handers, somehow it feels a little daunting,” Chopra opined.
Having taken a 2-0 lead, Team India will look to clinch the series in the third T20I to be played Guwahati on Sunday, January 25.
Edited by Renin Wilben Albert
