Sanju Samson's Path Back Into Indian Squad Goes Through IPL, Feels S Sreesanth

Former India pacer S Sreesanth is hoping that statemate Sanju Samson has a successful campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year, which would open the doors for his return to the Indian side. Sreesanth’s statement comes in the backdrop of calls getting stronger and stronger for Samson’s inclusion in the Indian team following Suryakumar Yadav’s abysmal show of form in the recently-concluded ODI series against Australia.

“Sanju Samson, I genuinely hope he does extremely well and gets back into the Indian line-up, scoring lots and lots of runs with lots of performances,” Sreesanth said in an exclusive interaction with Star Sports.

Also read – ‘It Can Happen To Anyone’: Rohit Sharma Backs Suryakumar Yadav Despite Hattrick of Ducks

“See, Sanju being a very attacking captain and maybe sometimes when the occasion comes, he has to step back a bit, and that’s something which even I have been telling him. So, that’s one, maybe he has to balance between attacking and defending. Even when it comes to captaincy, he’s still learning, but that will be one very important point when it comes to strength as well as weakness. Sanju has to balance his thoughts and decision-making,” Sreesanth added on how the Rajasthan Royals captain should approach his duties in the upcoming season of the IPL.

Samson will be looking to take Rajasthan Royals to their second IPL crown since winning the inaugural edition in 2008 and has looked to be in sublime touch during practice. The Royals shared a one-minute video on Twitter on Wednesday that showed Samson playing shots with aplomb during the very first net session itself. The video titled ’60 seconds of the crowd and you enjoying Sanju in Jaipur’ has garnered over 78,000 views already on the micro-blogging website. The sound of the bat hitting the ball was as sweet as it could ever be. Check the video here:

With Samson’s participation in the Indian team, it has often been a case of unlucky misses. However, he has made the most of the limited opportunities he had had, scoring 330 runs in 11 ODIs with a healthy average of 66. In T20Is, he has scored 301 runs in 17 outings and has a strike rate of 133.77. He has had a sparkling IPL career, having scored 3,526 runs in 138 matches with a strike rate of 135.72. He had got injured during the T20I series against Sri Lanka at the start of the year and is having to wait for a return to the national side.

Suryakumar’s woes, however, could provide him with a chance to stage a comeback. The Mumbai batter has had a torrid time against the touring Australians, scoring three first-ball ducks on the trot. While he fell to the pace and swing of Mitchell Starc in the first two ODIs of the series in Mumbai and Visakhapatnam, left-arm spinner Ashton Agar cleaned him up in the series decider in Chennai on Wednesday.

Suryakumar, who is known for his pyrotechnics in T20 cricket and had enjoyed a great run in the build-up to the ICC World T20 last year, has often been compared to South African great AB De Villiers for his ability to play shots all around the ground. He already has three centuries in his kitty in Indian colours.

Also read – IND vs AUS, 3rd ODI: Suryakumar Bags 3rd Consecutive Golden Duck, Joins Sachin in Bizarre Record List

However, the dubious distinction of bagging a hattrick of ODI ducks has put the scanner firmly on Suryakumar, and despite captain Rohit Sharma and before that coach Rahul Dravid backing him to the fullest, the India team management would carefully weigh its options ahead of the all-important ICC World Cup to be played during October-November this year. If Samson does end up having an IPL to remember, one could well see him roaring back into the mix.

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