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It was completely justified for Samson to get a chance at the beginning of the England series. A player who played three consecutive brilliant innings in the World Cup should have got a proper run but the problem is that Samson has not looked comfortable in challenging conditions.
Sanju Samson will get life for two matches in Team India
New Delhi. The Indian team management had taken a completely logical decision by selecting Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma in place of Vaibhav Suryavanshi for the Ireland tour. Vaibhav needed time to prove himself at the international level, while both Samson and Abhishek had cemented their place with their performances in the last few months. While Abhishek emerged as India’s X-factor player at the top order, Samson was among the big stars of the T20 World Cup. Ishan Kishan has also almost confirmed his place in the team by playing his role at number 3.
On this basis, it was completely justified for Samson to get a chance at the beginning of the England series. A player who played three consecutive brilliant innings in the World Cup should have got a proper run, but the problem is that Samson has not looked comfortable in challenging conditions. His recent performance has raised an important question, should India now give a chance to Vaibhav Suryavanshi in Manchester?
What does the Manchester pitch say?
The circumstances of Manchester make this decision more interesting. In the recent Women’s T20 World Cup matches played here, the pitch was relatively slow and the bowlers were not getting much help. Apart from this, considering the heat that came last week, there is less possibility of much change in the nature of the pitch. In such a situation, the debate deepens, should Samson get another chance, or is the time for change now?
Team balance vs individual form
Sending Samson down the order is not an easy solution. This move doesn’t seem practical in terms of team balance, as there is no clear vacancy. Ishan Kishan may not have played any match-winning innings, but he has not done anything that would justify his removal. It can be risky to change the entire batting order just to fit one player. If Samson is dropped, then it will also be necessary that Vaibhav Suryavanshi is given opportunities not in one or two matches, but continuously, only then it will be possible to assess how effective he is at this level.
it is necessary to raise questions
Every player should get adequate chances before the final decision, this is the fairest principle of the game. Suryavanshi has presented a strong claim with his performance in IPL and Sri Lanka, but Samson and Abhishek had made a place with their performance earlier, hence the decision of the team management so far was completely right. Nevertheless, Samson’s dismissal pattern in the last three matches does raise some concerns. Is he comfortable against the new ball, especially when it has little movement? And if he is not able to take advantage of his chances, is this really India’s best playing XI?
the decision is not easy
This debate is not related to any PR or personal likes and dislikes. It’s just a matter of raising the right questions in the interest of the team. While Samson’s World Cup innings are worthy of praise, Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s extraordinary emerging talent is equally evident. This is why this selection of Manchester becomes so exciting and important.
About the Author

I, Rajeev Mishra, am currently working as Associate Sports Editor at Network 18. In this role, I am responsible for digital sports content planning, editorial strategy and anchoring. Sports magazine…read more