"I think there's got to be an apology made" - Brad Hogg on Sanju Samson's father's controversial statementÂ
Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg recently reacted to Team India's wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson's father Vishwanath's controversial statement. In an interview with a Malayalam-language news channel, Vishwanath alleged that MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rahul Dravid wasted 10 years of his son's career.
Hogg opined that Samson's father should have avoided making such remarks, given the stature of the aforementioned four names. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, the cricketer-turned-commentator said:
"Sanju Samson's father coming out and saying to the public that Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Dravid have held his career back 10 years is not the ideal situation that you want to be in. They are four big names of Indian cricket. They've had a lot of success."
Hogg also reckoned that the comments from Samson's father would put the wicketkeeper under a lot of pressure. Suggesting that Vishwanath should apologize for the statement, the 53-year-old added:
"Sanju Samson is a fantastic player. He's starting to cement his place in that Indian team. He's made two hundreds in a row after it. I just feel that comments like these from the family put too much pressure on Sanju Samson moving forward. I think there's got to be an apology made and this is for the benefit of Sanju Samson's career as well."
Hogg further pointed out that getting into the Indian team isn't an easy feat and players have to wait for their turn. He emphasized the importance of staying quiet and just focusing on performing well, elaborating:
"He's established himself in the IPL. He's the captain of Rajasthan Royals. There have been quality players, quality batsmen, who have all lined up for India. It's very hard to break in there. So, you've got to break the process. You can't control what the selectors or what's in the selectors' minds. So, for me, when it comes to situations like this, keep the mouth shut and just let the bat do the talking"
Sanju Samson was last seen in action during India's four-match away T20I series against South Africa earlier this month. The right-handed batter notched up two centuries in the rubber.
"Is it even necessary?" - Aakash Chopra on Sanju Samson's father's comments
Former Team India opener Aakash Chopra also reckoned that Sanju Samson's father blaming MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rahul Dravid was uncalled for. He mentioned that all fathers, including him, tend to be biased towards their children.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra stated:
"Sanju Samson's father has said something very interesting. He put Ji after Kohli, Dhoni, Rohit and Dravid's names and said that they spoiled 10 years of his son's career. I start thinking is it even necessary? I will be very honest."
"Since I am a father, I can tell you that fathers are biased. Our children are the dearest to us and we don't see any of their shortcomings. The same must be true for my father. He might be saying that Aakash was wronged and he also should have got more opportunities," he added.
Samson has thrived in the role of an opener in India's T20I team, slamming three tons in his last five appearances.