Former India opener Kris Srikkanth slammed head coach Gautam Gambhir for his handling of Sanju Samson after the second T20I of the five-match series in Australia. Srikkanth said the constant changes in Samson’s batting position make it difficult for him to mentally settle down or prepare for a particular role.
India’s tactic of constantly tinkering with the batting order came in for criticism. Samson was promoted to number 3 following the dismissal of Shubman Gill. The team management had stated that Samson had to adapt to a middle-order role in T20 Internationals, adding to the confusion surrounding the team’s plans.
Don’t understand what they are doing with Sanju Samson – Kris Srikkanth
Kris Srikkanth took to his YouTube channel after the Melbourne T20I to wonder why Sanju Samson is shifted to a new position almost every match. He pointed out that Samson was used somewhere between No. 3 and No. 8, making it impossible for him to understand his role.
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“I don’t understand what they are doing with Sanju Samson. He is batting at 5 for one match and then suddenly he is batting at 4, 6, 7 or 8. And this match he is batting at 3,” said Srikkanth.
“That’s not fair, you have to give up a fixed position. Mentally, only then can a batsman make a decision. You can’t just keep shuffling the batting order. You’re ruining that boy’s confidence, which is not fair,” he added.
Samson was dismissed LBW for 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. Due to the constant changes, Simson no longer has a permanent position.
Sending Sanju Samson at number 3 was a knee-jerk reaction – Kris Srikkanth
Srikkanth termed India’s decision to send Sanju Samson at number 3 as a panic move due to the seaming conditions. Srikkanth also noted that Suryakumar Yadav had taken the one-drop position in the opening match, where India were well placed at 97/1 before rain intervened.
“Sending him to number 3 was a knee-jerk reaction. They sent him there when the ball was moving and he couldn’t do anything anymore. You upset the balance of the team, forget about the individual. Just because there was some spice in the wicket, you sent Sanju to bat and he got out straight away,” Srikkanth said (via the source mentioned earlier).
Sanju Samson probably didn’t even have his sanitary pads ready – Kris Srikkanth
The former captain also said that Samson was not even willing to bat at number 3. He stated that Samson had expected Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma to go before him.
“He probably didn’t even have his pads ready and thought Suryakumar Yadav would go out at 3, followed by Tilak Varma at 4 and himself at 5. As soon as they saw the ball moving, Sanju was told to go out at 3. How is that possible, doesn’t a batsman need mental makeup?” Srikkanth continued.
India’s batting order changes proved costly as they collapsed for just 125 runs inside 19 overs. Australia completed the chase comfortably in the 14th over with four wickets in hand and took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
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