As Team India gears up for the second T20I against Afghanistan, the toss-up for the wicketkeeper-keeper batter will be once again between fans’ favourite Sanju Samson and newbie Jitesh Sharma. The series opener in Mohali saw the latter doing the gloves and contributing to the winning cause with a stumping and a quick-fire 31-run knock off 20 balls. The hosts shall alter the playing XI as Virat Kohli, who missed the previous game due to personal issues, is back in the mix but Sharma is likely to retain his spot.
In that case, Sanju will have to continue warming the bench in Indore. But former India all-rounder and Jio Cinema Expert Suresh Raina believes that the Kerala keeper-batter cannot be written off easily.
Speaking on Jio Cinema, Raina said if even Rishabh Pant makes a comeback, his choice would be Samson over Rahul and Ishan Kishan.
“You cannot sign off Sanju Samson. The way he scored a hundred against South Africa on the latter’s soil. He plays fearlessly and is a superb wicketkeeper. Samson is also a captain material. He has done really well whenever he has got chances,” said Raina
“We have some very good options for wicketkeeper-batter role — KL Rahul, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Pant whenever he comes back after getting fit. I prefer to have Sanju in the middle-order because he has a lot of shots,” he added.
Raina, who played 78 T20Is and 205 IPL games, opined that Samson could be India’s X-factor for Team India if he gets picked for the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in the West Indies and the United States.
“He plays those pick-up shots against pacers from the length. Hopefully, he performs well in the IPL too before the selectors sit down to select the team for the T20 World Cup. So, it is a good chance for Sanju against Afghanistan, and he can be our X-Factor in the World Cup,” Rain added.
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