IND vs SL 2021: Why Sanju Samson is a better choice to keep wickets for India
The inception of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has unearthed a plethora of young talents in the domestic circuit. The due credit for the meteoric rise of the Indian team in recent years has to be given to the strong domestic structure and the IPL.
The high-voltage tournament has helped domestic players in the country share the dressing room with the best international players and learn from them.
Due to quarantine restrictions across the world, the Indian team has a new-look squad for the ODI & T20I series against Sri Lanka that starts 13th July.
The team, which will be helmed by Shikhar Dhawan, has Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan as the designated two wicket-keepers in the squad.
On that note, let's analyze the reasons why Sanju Samson is the front-runner to keep wickets for India in the Sri Lanka tour:
#1 Sanju Samson had an impressive first half of IPL 2021
Kerala talent Sanju Samson was appointed the skipper of the Rajasthan Royals for this edition of the IPL and has performed exceedingly well for the side.
In seven league matches, Sanju Samson amassed 277 runs at an average of 46.26, with his highest score of 119 runs coming against the Punjab Kings in Rajasthan's opening encounter.
Despite the match not going in their favor, Samson made a dream start to the league. While the right-handed batsman has been consistent with his performances, the same cannot be said about Ishan Kishan.
The southpaw made his debut for the Indian side in the T20I series against England earlier in the year, where he scored a scintillating half-century. Since then, his performance has ebbed and flowed, resulting in his ouster from the playing XI of the Mumbai Indians.
#2 Sanju Samson can solve India's middle-order conundrum in T20Is
The last home series against England witnessed Virat Kohli opening the innings in the shortest format of the game along with Rohit Sharma.
With the ICC T20 World Cup scheduled to be held later this year, the duo are expected to be the possible opening combination for the tournament. The series against Sri Lanka with the white-ball specialists will act as a platform for the players to get into the groove ahead of the World Cup.
One of the primary reasons why Sanju Samson should feature in the playing XI against Sri Lanka is his current form. While Samson displayed an array of strokes throughout the IPL, Ishan Kishan struggled on the low and slow surface.
The conditions in Sri Lanka will be familiar to the Indian surface, making it a little difficult for Kishan to get going.
Another significant reason for the Kerala player to feature in the XI would be his wicket-keeping ability. With Quinton de Kock donning the gloves for the Mumbai Indians, Kishan has not kept in a competitive game for a long time.
The Indian team will also be missing the services of Shreyas Iyer in the series due to an injury. While he is expected to be fit for the second half of the IPL, Sanju Samson could well be his ideal replacement in the World Cup squad, given his immense talent and free-flowing strokeplay.