Arshdeep Singh vs Sanju Samson - whose comeback is a bigger positive for India?
Team India secured a memorable 2-1 ODI series win against South Africa, which comes across as a bit of respite after their humiliating 3-0 loss in the previous tour. As the scoreline suggests, the Men in Blue were the better side overall, and have several takeaways from the series across departments.
Abiding by their impressive record in do-or-die encounters in bilateral series, Team India shook off their loss in the second ODI and put in a comprehensive display at the Boland Park in Paarl to seal the series.
Sanju Samson led the charge with the bat on a tricky surface with his maiden hundred. He seized the opportunity of batting at No. 3 and played to perfection helping India score a competitive and in hindsight, an above-par total batting first.
Much like the batters played their part in the first innings, the bowlers matched the efforts and bowled out South Africa for 218 runs, handing Team India a 78-run win. Spearheading the inexperienced bowling attack was Arshdeep Singh, who stepped up with a four-wicket haul which included the wickets of the well-set opening batters.
On that note, let us take a look at whose comeback is a bigger positive for India between Arshdeep Singh and Sanju Samson.
#1 Performances on the tour
Sanju Samson was in the playing XI for all the three ODIs against South Africa. He did not get a chance to bat in the series opener in Johannesburg as India ended up winning the contest by eight wickets.
He was dismissed for 12 in the second ODI, chopping one onto the stumps from a delivery by Beuran Hendricks. Samson did not look at his fluent best after facing 23 balls, and his untimely dismissal kickstarted a collapse for India as well.
He saved his best for last with a century in the third ODI, ending the series with 120 runs in two matches at a strike rate of 87.59, making him the third leading run-scorer in the three-match affair behind Tony de Zorzi and Sai Sudharsan.
Arshdeep Singh, on the other hand, was part of all five white-ball matches on tour. He picked up one wicket in the T20I series and proceeded to have the best ODI series of his career so far. He became the first bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul against South Africa with his figures of 5-37 in the first ODI. His spell led to South Africa being bowled out for 116 at the Wanderers.
The left-arm pacer picked up one wicket in the second ODI, before wrapping up his tour with four wickets in the final match. He was named player of the series for his exploits as well.
#2 Impact
Sanju Samson did not have much of a say in the proceedings in the first two matches, but his player of the match display in the third ODI says it all. He forged a crucial 116-run partnership with Tilak Varma for the fourth wicket, absorbing the pressure, and setting up the platform for the final flourish by Rinku Singh.
Arshdeep Singh had a major say in the entire tour, particularly in the ODI series. The pacer's five-wicket haul in the first match set up the contest for India, and his spell in the third match was also vital for the win.
He did bowl his heart out in Port Elizabeth as well, claiming figures of 1-28 off eight overs, but the target was too low to trouble the Proteas.
#3 Benefit for the team in the long run
Arshdeep Singh, being a rare left-arm seamer in recent times for India, has been viewed as a valuable prospect since the get-go. While he had a slump recently, his recent set of performances places him right in contention for the T20 World Cup squad, with a solid Indian Premier League (IPL) season, possibly sealing it.
His ODI performances come across as a lot more encouraging since he had a slow start. He was wicketless in his first three ODI appearances, and now after his heroics against South Africa, he inches closer to the first team.
There have been countless cases of players fizzing away after a memorable outing, and unfortunately, the same fate might await Samson as well. Arguably, the innings might have come a little too late. The wicketkeeper-batter is already far behind in the pecking order that now includes the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, and potentially even KL Rahul, who is looking to make a permanent switch to the middle order.
He will certainly be a part of the second-string squad, but anything more seems difficult considering the competition and the limited opportunities. He will hardly get a chance to play up the order again, and he has to start from scratch while trying to prove down the order. Despite his impressive ODI numbers, his poor domestic numbers will always drag him down.
For Samson, the first task would be to make something of the innings and show consistency, as it has been the area that has held him back his entire career more than anything else.
As a result, Arshdeep's comeback is an outright positive for India when compared to Samson's equally commendable effort.