"There might be a case for Sanju Samson at No. 4"- Wasim Jaffer on India's selection dilemma ahead of T20 World Cup Super 8 phase
Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer feels that while the team management will not make a knee-jerk reaction with respect to selection, they might ponder the possibility of having Sanju Samson at No. 4 in their T20 World Cup playing XI. The Men in Blue have qualified for the Super 8 phase with three wins from three games.
However, one of the areas of worry is Shivam Dube's performance with the bat. In three innings, Dube has scored just 34 runs at a strike rate of 73.91.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, here's what Wasim Jaffer had to say about India's selection dilemma:
"There might be a case for Sanju Samson at No. 4. But then Shivam Dube has got just a couple of games and the team management will want to give him a longer run. Whether Samson will play, whether Jaiswal will play, these decisions are something that the team management will need to think about going forward."
Wasim Jaffer personally wants to back Shivam Dube because the Men in Blue will be heading to the West Indies where the all-rounder's spin-hitting ability could be vital. The southpaw also scored an important 31*(35) in India's win over the USA.
Wasim Jaffer on importance of India being aggressive in the powerplay
The pitches at the T20 World Cup, especially in the USA, have posed a major challenge to the batters and run-scoring hasn't been easy. While the debate continues about the ideal approach, Wasim Jaffer believes the powerplay restrictions have to be taken advantage of no matter what.
On this, he stated:
"You will need to be proactive in the powerplay. You will reach nowhere if you play cautiously on such pitches because the bowler knows he has to bowl on a spot and let the pitch do the rest. We have seen players like Rishabh Pant get rewarded for their bravery and that's the way you need to play with the powerplay restrictions."
India's opening partnerships so far have been 12, 22, & 0 in their three games. They would want Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to put up a big opening stand in their last group game against Canada on June 15.