When Sanju Samson made it to the T20I squad of Team India, there was hope that this could solve an issue regarding Rishabh Pant. Samson did not get a game against Bangladesh in the three-match T20I series in November. He was then named as a replacement for Shikhar Dhawan in the T20Is against West Indies. However, it was another series where the player was benched. He got a solitary outing in the T20Is against Sri Lanka at the start of last month.
Samson managed just six runs and was out in the second delivery he faced. Once again, after being named as the replacement for Dhawan in the T20Is against New Zealand, the wicket-keeper batsman got his chance in the fourth and fifth T20I. India rested Rohit Sharma for the fourth game and skipper Virat Kohli sat out from the final encounter. However, Samson failed to take his chances. He was out for eight and two respectively.
For a player, who knew chances would come limited and that he needs to grab the same with both hands, the manner of dismissals suggest that Samson is still not ready for international cricket. And if you follow his batting closely, he is another inconsistent player in the ranks. A lot like Rishabh Pant, the Kerala batsman lacks the temperament to deal in T20Is. Samson could have used these two games to enhance his chances ahead of Pant, however, it looks like the player will not be considered in the near future.
Pant, who was India’s main keeper after MS Dhoni’s sabbatical, did not fare consistently with the bat. A concussion suffered in the first ODI against Australia last month, saw Pant KL Rahul be promoted as the wicket-keeper batsman. Since then, Pant has been dropped and is warming the bench. With the World T20 to be held this year, Pant still has a chance to be India’s second option in the squad. As for Samson, his dreams look over.