Sanju Samson heading toward forced retirement?:India’s underused talent, not just lost T20I opening spot but also his place in the ODI squad

Sanju Samson, who debuted for the Indian team in 2015, could only play 24 T20I matches till 2023. Finally, after the 2024 World Cup, he secured his berth in India’s T20I squad. Although he capitalised on the opportunity, smashing 3 centuries in 5 months as an opener. And just when it seemed that Sanju would now be India’s long-term opener, he had to vacate his spot for Shubman Gill in the Asia Cup. Sanju batted in the middle order then. In the final, when the Indian team had lost three wickets for 20 runs, he had put on a 57-run partnership with Tilak Varma and brought India back into the match. After this, it was believed that Sanju would also make a place in India’s ODI team for the Australia tour. But that didn’t happen either. KL Rahul was chosen as the main wicketkeeper, and Dhruv Jurel came into the team as a backup. Sanju was left out, and it happened despite Sanju scoring runs at an average of 56 in 16 ODIs matches. On the other hand, Jurel has not even debuted in ODIs yet. Sanju was once again overlooked. However, this is not the first time Sanju and his fans have been left heartbroken. For 10 years, his story has been swinging back and forth between hope and heartbreak. Let’s take a look at the ups and downs of Sanju’s decade-long career… Got the spotlight with Under-19 World Cup The 2014 Under-19 World Cup was the worst for India in the last 15 years. The team was knocked out in the quarter-finals after losing to England. Despite this, the ICC tournament gave India future stars like Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav, and Sanju Samson. In the tournament, young Samson caught everyone’s attention with his power-hitting. He hit the second-highest number of sixes (12) after Nicholas Pooran. Among the top-15 run-scorers, his strike rate was the best after Pooran. He was also Team India’s top scorer and single-handedly won matches for the team in the group stage. Debut at an early age of 20 Even before the Under-19 World Cup, seeing his power-hitting in 2013, Rajasthan Royals bought him for the Indian Premier League(IPL). In the initial 2 seasons, he played 24 matches, which included 22 sixes and 44 fours. Due to his excellent performance in the Under-19 and IPL, Samson got the opportunity to debut in T20I in 2015 itself. He played one match against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, but could only score 19 runs off 24 balls. Ignored despite IPL performance After his T20I debut, Samson was dropped from the team. He didn’t get opportunities in the international team, but Samson consistently performed while playing for Rajasthan and Delhi Capitals in the IPL. He now captains Rajasthan and has scored 4704 runs, including 3 centuries. During this period, he also hit 219 sixes. Long 4.5-year break after debut After his T20I debut, Samson had to wait a long time to play international cricket. In 2020, he started being included in the squad based on his IPL performance, but was only played in 1-2 matches per series. Until 2023, Samson kept moving in and out of the team. He only got opportunities against teams like Ireland, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies. In 2022, he could only score one fifty against Ireland, but couldn’t secure his place in the team. After Dhoni, opportunities were given to KL Rahul and sometimes Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeper position, but neither could establish themselves. Slams 3 centuries in 5 months Sanju Samson was selected as a wicketkeeper along with Rishabh Pant in the 2024 T20I World Cup. Pant scored a fifty in the warm-up match, while Samson couldn’t do anything special. Therefore, Samson had to sit on the bench for the entire tournament. Pant got all the opportunities in the tournament, yet he could not leave a mark. After the World Cup, Gautam Gambhir became the head coach of Team India. He consistently gave Samson opportunities in the opening position in the T20I team. Sanju capitalised on the chances he got and scored 3 centuries in 5 months between July and November. His 2 centuries came against South Africa and one against Bangladesh. Batting position change in Asia Cup Samson, who had scored 619 runs with the help of 3 centuries and 2 fifties in a year, secured his place in the T20I team. Then, the Asia Cup took place in September this year. Shubman Gill became the vice-captain and was given the opening position instead of Samson; therefore, the latter had to bat in the middle order. Due to the change in position in the ACC tournament, Samson did not even get to bat in 3 matches. In 4 matches, he scored 56, 13, 39, and 24. In the final, Samson, along with Tilak Varma, formed a crucial fifty-run partnership to rescue the team from a fallout. On the other hand, Shubman could not score a fifty despite opening. His best in the continental tournament was 47 runs with just 12 runs in the final. After losing the opening spot, Samson faces the challenge of proving himself in the middle order. Jitesh Sharma is sitting as his backup for this position, who only plays the role of a finisher in IPL and domestic cricket. If Samson fails to score much in 2-3 matches, he might be dropped from the playing XI despite his 3 centuries. Ignored for ODI squad despite Asia Cup performance After losing his position in the T20 team, it was believed that Sanju Samson would be selected for the ODI team. KL Rahul is the main wicketkeeper in this format, but after Rishabh Pant’s injury, Samson’s name was buzzing around. However, he was only included in the T20I squad for India’s Australia tour. Dhruv Jurel got a place in the ODI team as a backup wicketkeeper. Jurel has made his T20I and Test debut, but has not yet made his ODI debut. On the other hand, Samson has scored 510 runs for India in 16 ODIs, including one century and 3 half centuries. What’s next for Samson? 30-year-old Sanju Samson is currently in his peak form in white-ball cricket, but due to a change in position in T20Is, he is getting fewer opportunities. On the other hand, he wasn’t even selected in the ODI team. If he fails to prove himself in his non-favourite position in T20Is, he will soon be completely dropped from Team India. If he wants to stay in the playing XI, he will have to consistently score quick knocks in finishing positions. Next year, the T20I World Cup is also set to be held in India. Samson will definitely be selected in the team, but will he get his opening spot back? The ODI World Cup is in 2027. Pant is ahead in the race for backup wicketkeeper, but his ODI performance is weaker compared to Samson. If the team management wishes to sideline Samson, then it will be very difficult for him to get a chance in the ODI team.