"Have To See If India Will Even Persist With Him": Gautam Gambhir Sums Up Sanju Samson's Situation
Gautam Gambhir isn't sure if the Indian team will even persist with Sanju Samson despite the latter scoring a century in the 3rd ODI against South Africa.
Maiden ODI century, eight years into his international career, Sanju Samson has sent a big message to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee. But, with the ODI World Cup 4 years away, questions have been raised over Samson's continuity in the Indian team. Though Samson is likely to be picked for India's next ODI assignment, India's schedule as far as the 50-over format is concerned, doesn't paint the most promising picture. In fact, former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir is eager to see if Samson is even persisted with in the Indian team after his century in Paarl.
Samson has an average of over 50 in ODIs yet he wasn't picked in India's squad for the Cricket World Cup 2023. His run in the Indian team has been quite sporadic and it's fair to say that Samson hasn't truly managed to capitalise on the chances given to him. But, Gambhir is hopeful of things changing from here on.
"We all know how much talent he has. Not just us, everyone has talked about it given the kind of innings he has played in the IPL. But today through this knock, somewhere he has kickstarted his international career. Before this, he always received sporadic chances - sometimes he would get a game, something he would be left out. But when you score a 100, you not only impress the selectors but even put pressure on them to pick you," Gambhir said in a chat with Star Sports.
One of the biggest fears Gambhir has with regards to Samson's career is the fact that there's a long time to go before the next ODI World Cup is held. With the Kerala wicket-keeper batter, Gambhir feels India can find more strength in the middle-order.
"But we'll have to see whether India will even persist with him after this century because the next World Cup is four years away. Still, the kind of quality player Samson is, I feel he should be persisted with. With his keeping, you have a very good option in the middle order. India will always have a strong and heavy top order but Samson will always give you that option in the middle. With this knock, Samson has restarted his career," he asserted.
India Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team
Sanju Samson
Gautam Gambhir