"Will you judge Samson with one match?" - Aakash Chopra doesn't want India to play Sanju Samson ahead of Jitesh Sharma in 3rd T20I vs Afghanistan
Aakash Chopra doesn't want India to play Sanju Samson ahead of Jitesh Sharma in the third T20I against Afghanistan in Bengaluru on Wednesday, January 17.
The Men in Blue go into the final game of the three-match series with an unassailable 2-0 lead. Jitesh, who played as the wicketkeeper-batter in the first two T20Is, smashed a 20-ball 31 in the series opener but was dismissed for a duck in the second game.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Samson shouldn't replace Jitesh in India's playing XI.
"The question is whether you should keep Jitesh or Sanju at No. 6. If Jitesh had cemented his place totally, if there hadn't been a question mark at all in front of Jitesh's name, that he is definitely going to the World Cup, you could have thought about Sanju. However, Jitesh is not confirmed yet," he reasoned.
"There is a flip side to that as well. Assuming you play Sanju, will you judge him with one match? It's incorrect. Whoever you try, give him three chances at least. This is what has happened with Sanju throughout his career," the former India opener added.
Chopra highlighted that judgments have been made on Samson's career based on one or two chances while others have been given many opportunities. He added that it would be injustice if the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter was given just a solitary chance to prove his credentials.
"Virat Kohli has played just one match, so he has to play" - Aakash Chopra
![Virat Kohli missed the first T20I against Afghanistan for personal reasons. [P/C: BCCI]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/01/e3601-17054604375985-1920.jpg?w=500)
Reflecting on the rest of the batting lineup, Aakash Chopra opined that Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Yashasvi Jaiswal should play the third T20I.
"Rohit hasn't scored any runs, so he has to play," he said. "Virat Kohli has played just one match, so he has to play. Yashasvi has also played just one match, so he too has to play."
The cricketer-turned-commentator doesn't want Tilak Varma to replace either Shivam Dube or Rinku Singh in the playing XI.
"Shivam Dube has been the find of the series so far, so he will play at No. 4 for sure. So can Tilak Varma be played here? In place of whom, because Rinku Singh gets limited opportunities, in terms of, not the games, but the amount he gets to bat. So he also needs to play," Chopra explained.
Chopra concluded by saying that there is no scope for a change in India's top six. While admitting that the Men in Blue might want to give opportunities to the players on the bench, he opined that they would have to play the same frontline batters.