If someone of Sanju Samson’s calibre is picked in an Indian squad of 15, then he surely can’t be kept out while selecting the playing eleven in the upcoming Asia Cup, feels legendary Sunil Gavaskar, who wants to see the Kerala dasher bat at No.3 behind Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill.
Once Gill came back into the T20 set-up as vice-captain, it was a foregone conclusion that he would get his opening slot back. The team management now has a tricky call on hand while deciding whether to keep Samson in the playing XI finding a slot for him in top three or play Jitesh Sharma, who is more familiar with finisher’s role.
“If you take somebody like Sanju Samson in the core team, then you can’t leave him out in the reserves,” Gavaskar told a select group of mediapersons during an interaction ahead of the tournament starting September 9 in the UAE.
“Yes, I think it’s a very good headache to have for any selection committee that you have two capable batters and somebody like Sanju Samson who can maybe even bat at three and if needed come down at six as a finisher.
“And Jitesh has also done well in the recently concluded IPL where he’s played exceedingly well. So yes, I think it’s a pleasant headache for the tour selection committee,” he added.
The 76-year-old feels that Samson will at least get a couple of matches if not more. India will open against UAE on September 10.
“But my feeling is that maybe Samson will probably get the nod ahead of Jitesh for at least the first couple of games. And then depending on what his form is for the rest of the tournament. But this is what I think will happen,” said the former Indian skipper under whom India won the inaugural Asia Cup ODI tournament in Sharjah in 1984.
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Tilak Varma and skipper Suryakumar Yadav have normally played at number three and four in recent years, so how can Samson be accommodated at the top if he isn’t playing in the middle order which is not his preferred slot? “But that is why I think maybe they might even be thinking in terms of having him (Samson) at number three and having Tilak as a finisher at five or six. Because Hardik (Pandya) is in your team as well. So, Hardik will probably be batting at five or six again.”
“One among Rinku or Dube has to sit out”
Gavaskar is of the opinion that it could be one among Rinku Singh or Shivam Dube, who might have to sit out.
“And with Axar Patel also likely to play in this side as a left-hander and somebody who can bowl good four overs, it looks like somebody like Rinku and Shivam might have to wait a bit before they get an opportunity.” For Gavaskar, the two spinners who would start are Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav and he thinks that a third specialist pacer in Harshit Rana will find his place in the squad.
“My feeling is that they might not extend the batting to No. 8 and look for the bowlers, maybe Kuldeep at 8 and then 9, 10, 11, your 3 fast bowlers.
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“So it actually makes it 4 fast bowlers when you include Hardik Pandya and two spinners as six bowlers in your team, which is always very good to have because sometimes if one bowler is having a bad day, you want somebody else who can come in and bowl for him.”
