Legendary Sunil Gavaskar believes that if Sanju Samson is selected in an Indian team of 15, he cannot be excluded from the playing eleven for the next Asia Cup. He wants to see the Kerala dasher bat at number three, behind Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill.
It seemed inevitable that Gill would regain his starting position as soon as he returned to the T20 setup as vice-captain. The team’s management must now make the difficult decision of whether to play Jitesh Sharma, who is more accustomed to playing the finisher’s role, or keep Samson in the starting lineup and find a spot for him in the top three.
“If you take somebody like Sanju Samson in the core team, then you can’t leave him out in the reserves,” Gavaskar told a select group of mediapersons during an interaction ahead of the tournament starting September 9 in the UAE.
“Yes, I think it’s a very good headache to have for any selection committee that you have two capable batters and somebody like Sanju Samson who can maybe even bat at three and if needed come down at six as a finisher.”
“And Jitesh has also done well in the recently concluded IPL where he’s played exceedingly well. So yes, I think it’s a pleasant headache for the tour selection committee,” he added.
The 76-year-old believes Samson will play in at least a couple of games, if not more. On September 10, India will play the United Arab Emirates.
“But my feeling is that maybe Samson will probably get the nod ahead of Jitesh for at least the first couple of games. And then depending on what his form is for the rest of the tournament. But this is what I think will happen,” said the former Indian skipper under whom India won the inaugural Asia Cup ODI tournament in Sharjah in 1984.
Since Samson isn’t playing in the middle order, which isn’t his favorite position, how can he be accommodated at the top? Tilak Varma and captain Suryakumar Yadav have typically played at number three and four in recent years.
“But that is why I think maybe they might even be thinking in terms of having him (Samson) at number three and having Tilak as a finisher at five or six. Because Hardik (Pandya) is in your team as well. So, Hardik will probably be batting at five or six again.”
Gavaskar believes that it might be one of Shivam Dube or Rinku Singh, who may have to miss out.
“And with Axar Patel also likely to play in this side as a left-hander and somebody who can bowl good four overs, it looks like somebody like Rinku and Shivam might have to wait a bit before they get an opportunity.”
Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are the two spinners that Gavaskar would start, and he believes that Harshit Rana, a third specialist pacer, will gain a spot in the team.
“My feeling is that they might not extend the batting to No. 8 and look for the bowlers, maybe Kuldeep at 8 and then 9, 10, 11, your 3 fast bowlers.”
“So it actually makes it 4 fast bowlers when you include Hardik Pandya and two spinners as six bowlers in your team, which is always very good to have because sometimes if one bowler is having a bad day, you want somebody else who can come in and bowl for him.”
Gavaskar further clarified that Jasprit Bumrah won’t experience any workload-related problems because he will only be bowling four overs per game, and that too in two or three spells.
“In this Asia Cup, it is just a question of bowling four overs and that too it is not four overs at a stretch…So I don’t think there will be any problem for him to play this tournament.”
“I mean there will be no workload problem for him because he has to bowl only four overs and there can be no problem.”
