IND v AUS 2020: 'Sanju Samson will not get too many opportunities' - Aakash Chopra reviews the Indian batsmen's T20I performances
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has opined that Sanju Samson has squandered the chances given to him in the T20I series against Australia, and that the wicket-keeper might not get too many in the future.
He made this observation while reviewing some of the Indian batsmen's performances during the T20I series in a video shared on his YouTube channel.
Aakash Chopra started by pointing out that KL Rahul did not come up with the big knocks that were expected of him, especially after his Orange Cap-winning performances in IPL 2020.
"It has not been a great tour for KL Rahul if you talk about T20Is as an opener in the three matches. You expected a lot more but those runs did not come."
The renowned commentator observed that Shikhar Dhawan did not do himself too many favours either, with the opener's spot likely to come up for debate once Rohit Sharma is back in the fold.
"It was a very important tour from Shikhar Dhawan's viewpoint. He did score a fifty but the 80 to 100 run-knock is required because the day Rohit is back, who will go out. You want KL Rahul to open but if you do, where will Shikhar Dhawan go. He got starts other than the first T20I but is getting out."
Aakash Chopra's views on Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer's performances
Aakash Chopra opined that Sanju Samson not coming up with the substantial knocks in the three T20Is could be an issue for him as he is unlikely to get numerous opportunities.
"It will be an issue for Sanju Samson because we have already discussed that he will not get too many opportunities. Everyone is not given the same number of chances, that is the truth of life."
Aakash Chopra added that the Kerala batsman will be disappointed with his returns with the bat in the series.
"So, if someone knows that he will be getting few opportunities, then he needs to make the best use of those chances. So, he will be a little disappointed with the way things went for him personally with the bat."
Aakash Chopra signed off by observing that even Shreyas Iyer had an indifferent white-ball leg of the tour. The Delhi Capitals skipper's only significant contribution was the short but enterprising knock he played in the second T20I.
"It has been a disappointing tour for Shreyas Iyer as well. He didn't play all the three T20Is, but in the two he played, one knock was good but got out for a duck this time. If you see the ODIs as well, it was not very good."
With stiff competition for the middle-order berths in the Indian team, both Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer would feel that they have let go of a chance to cement their places.
Other than Manish Pandey, who is already in the Indian squad, the likes of Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan would also be keen to present their case for a spot in the Indian middle order in the shortest format of the game.