3 Indian players who should be given a long rope ahead of the T20 World Cup
With a clinical performance against the touring Sri Lankans, India have started the new decade on the right note. A huge series against Australia has begun today and the men in blue will certainly be fired up for that, having lost a home bilateral series to Aaron Finch’s side last year.
The year 2020 though will see all the attention concentrated on cricket’s shortest format. With the T20 World Cup coming up in October, teams have started zeroing in on a pool of players who could be going to Australia.
India have done the same, creating a nice core team for the world event. Players like Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar and Deepak Chahar have been given opportunities in T20 cricket, and they have repaid the faith of the team management. We should expect to see a lot more of them in the months leading into the World Cup.
However, there are a few players who would be looking to get a few more opportunities to prove their worth to Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri before the event Down Under. Here’s a list of three players who should be given a long rope in the buildup to the World Cup:
#3 Sanju Samson
Since the conclusion of the 2019 Cricket World cup, a new debate has emerged in Indian cricket – who the correct replacement for MS Dhoni should be.
Rishabh Pant was touted to be the man at first, having impressed with Test centuries in England and Australia. However, some batting failures, coupled with an apparent lack of temperament and below-par wicketkeeping skills, have opened up the debate once again.
Pant has done well in 50-over cricket over the past few months, but his returns of 410 runs in 25 innings in T20 cricket is poor to say the least. And that is why, now would be the perfect time for Sanju Samson to step up.
Samson burst onto the scene as a young teenager in the IPL under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid. He has tremendous natural ability to go with a good head on his shoulders. His calmness during pressure situations is exactly what India need while chasing targets.
Samson has also been in scintillating form in domestic cricket, having scored a 129-ball 212 for Kerela not long ago. If the team management can show confidence in him for a long period of time, he could be a game-changer come the World Cup.