"Should blame himself if he remains out of the team for a long time now" - Danish Kaneria on Sanju Samson
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has criticized Team India's wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson for failing to make an impact in the recently concluded five-match T20I series against West Indies.
Kaneria opined that Samson had enough opportunities to make a mark for himself on the tour, but failed to grab those chances. He suggested that the 28-year-old should blame himself if he loses his place in the national side.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaneria said:
"Sorry to say, but you had enough chances in this series, but you weren't able to deliver. This is his own fault. The selectors or anyone else shouldn't be blamed, it was completely his fault. Sanju Samson should blame himself if he remains out of the team for a long time now."
Notably, Samson came up with a promising 51-run knock in the third and final ODI against West Indies. However, he struggled for form in the subsequent T20I games, finishing with just 32 runs from three innings.
"With Hardik Pandya there, you cannot play Mukesh Kumar" - Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria further stated that the Indian team management erred tactically by playing pacer Mukesh Kumar consistently throughout the series.
He emphasized that India wasted a golden opportunity by not giving tearaway speedster Umran Malik enough game time.
"With Hardik Pandya there, you cannot play Mukesh Kumar, as both of them have a similar pace," Danish Kaneria said. "Umran Malik bowls very fast, but is wayward. Wouldn't it have been better if India tried out Umran by playing him in all matches in this series? It would have increased his confidence."
Notably, Mukesh became only the second Indian player to make his debut in all three formats on the same tour. He is also a part of the Men in Blue squad for their upcoming three-match T20I series against Ireland.
Umran, on the other hand, remained wicketless in his two ODI appearances and also wasn't picked for the Ireland series.