"You have selected Sanju Samson but where will you play him?" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra feels Sanju Samson might have been selected in India's squad for the T20I series against New Zealand but might not be able to get a place in the playing XI.
The Men in Blue will lock horns with the Black Caps in a three-match T20I series, with the first game to be played in Wellington on Friday, November 18. Hardik Pandya has been picked as the captain of the 16-member Indian squad, which does not have seasoned players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.
Reflecting on the squad in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra questioned if Samson would find a place in the XI, elaborating:
"You have selected Sanju Samson but where will you play him, because if Shreyas Iyer doesn't play at No. 3, Suryakumar Yadav doesn't play at No. 4 and Hardik doesn't play at No. 5, where will they play?"
Chopra pointed out that there is no place available in the middle order for the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter. The former Indian opener explained:
"Suryakumar Yadav should not go below No. 4, Iyer should not go below No. 3 or No. 4 and Hardik shouldn't go below No. 5. The earliest place available for Sanju Samson is No. 6 but he might not be useful there. You can play Deepak Hooda there, although most of Hooda's runs have also come at the top of the order."
Samson has scored 296 runs at a strike rate of 135.15 in the 16 T20Is he has played. He last played against the West Indies in August this year, scoring an unbeaten 30 and 15 runs at No. 5 and No. 4 respectively in the two games he played on that tour.
"Prithvi Shaw should have probably been there" - Aakash Chopra
Chopra also questioned whether Prithvi Shaw should have been selected ahead of Shubman Gill. He observed:
"Is Shubman Gill your all-three format player or a T20 specialist? If he is not a T20 specialist and you want to write a new story, then Prithvi Shaw should have probably been there."
The more you look at the current India squad for the #NzvInd series, the more you wonder why Prithvi Shaw isn’t a part of it. You want to change the style of play in PP overs, this is THE opportunity to play the guy who’s naturally destructive.
Chopra reckons speedsters Umran Malik and Mohammed Siraj might not get a place in the playing XI. The reputed commentator reasoned:
"Umran Malik and Mohammed Siraj are a part of your team but will you be able to play either of them? The question is that Arshdeep and Harshal are automatic choices because Harshal was part of the World Cup also and provides batting as well. I feel you will not be able to use the extra pace of Umran Malik and Siraj."
India might want to use at least one of Malik or Siraj to add some pace to their attack. They could play two out of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel and Arshdeep Singh in such a scenario.