Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar commented on Sanju Samson’s inconsistent India career following Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) IPL 2024 Qualifier 2 loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Sunil Gavaskar said that Sanju Samson has not been a regular member of the Indian team due to his poor shot selection.
Rajasthan Royals restricted SunRisers Hyderabad to 175 runs after winning the toss at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday, May 24. The inaugural IPL champions failed to chase the target and managed to score 139/7. Sanju Samson scored 10 runs off 11 balls in the do-or-die match.
The team led by Sanju Samson achieved eight wins in the first nine games of the tournament. However, they faced a slump in the latter stages, suffering four consecutive defeats. They defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ‘Eliminator’ to advance to ‘Qualifier 2’, but failed to reach the final match.
Speaking on Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar criticized Sanju Samson for his poor shot selection. Gavaskar questioned the value of scoring 500 runs if it does not lead to winning matches or titles. He hoped Samson would take advantage of his opportunity in the T20 World Cup to cement his place in the team.
“What’s the point of scoring 500 runs if you can’t win the match or the title for your team? Everyone came out playing glamorous shots. Why hasn’t Samson had a stable career in India? It’s because his shot selection has let him down.” . Gavaskar said.
“If his shot selection had been good, his career in India too would have been long. I hope the opportunity he gets in the T20 World Cup he grabs with both hands and cements his place.” he added.
Sanju Samson scored 531 runs in 16 matches at an average of 48.27 and a strike rate of 153.46, including five half-centuries. The RR captain is the second highest run-getter in the RR team, behind Riyan Parag, who scored 573 runs at an impressive average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.21.
Sunil Gavaskar shared his opinion on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal during the match. The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Jaiswal’s dismissal turned out to be a defining moment. Gavaskar claimed that the situation could have been different if Jaiswal had stayed for a few more overs.
“I agree that it is very hot. However, we saw that a slight wind was blowing today, and the strategic timeout had just occurred where you had the opportunity to have snacks and drinks. To play a shot like that after that, I think “The situation the Royals ended up in was because of that. If he had stayed for another two or three overs, there wouldn’t have been any problem.” Gavaskar further added.
Yashasvi Jaiswal appeared to injure her hamstring after hitting a six off a Shahbaz Ahmed delivery. Jaiswal was dismissed just three deliveries later as he attempted another big shot off the left-arm spinner’s delivery. The left-handed batsman scored 42 runs off 21 balls, including four boundaries and three sixes.
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