Former Indian opener Kris Srikkanth criticized the team management for frequently shifting Sanju Samson’s batting position following the second T20I against Australia in Melbourne. Samson came in at No. 3 after Shubman Gill’s early dismissal but struggled in tough batting conditions, getting out LBW for just 2 off 4 balls.
Srikkanth pointed out that Samson had been performing well as an opener for India in T20Is since mid-last year, up until the recent Asia Cup in the UAE. However, the return of Shubman Gill has pushed the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter down the order, disrupting his rhythm and consistency.
Speaking about the issue on his YouTube channel following the Melbourne T20I, Srikkanth stated:
“I don’t understand what they are doing with Sanju Samson. He bats at 5 one game then suddenly at 4, 6, 7 or 8. And this match he bats at 3. That is not fair, you’ve to give a fixed position. Mentally, only then a batsman can make up his mind. You can’t just keep shuffling the batting order. You are spoiling that boy’s confidence, which is not fair.”
“Playing Him At No. 3 Was A Panic Move” – Kris Srikkanth
Kris Srikkanth feels that promoting Sanju Samson to the No. 3 spot in the second T20I against Australia was a hasty decision made in response to the seaming and bouncy pitch conditions. He pointed out that captain Suryakumar Yadav had batted at the same position in the series opener, where India were comfortably placed at 97/1 in the 10th over before rain interrupted play.
“Sending him at No. 3 was a knee-jerk reaction. They sent him there once the ball was moving around and he also couldn’t do anything. You are spoiling the balance of the team, forget about the individual. Just because there was some zip in the wicket, you sent Sanju out to bat and he got out immediately,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).
The former captain further continued:
“He must have not even had his pads ready and thought Suryakumar Yadav will go out at 3, followed by Tilak Varma at 4 and himself at 5. As soon as they saw the ball move around, Sanju was told to go out at 3. How’s that possible, doesn’t a batter need a mental make up?”
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