Waste of god-given talent: Gavaskar on Sanju Samson after string of failures

Former India batsman Sunil Gavaskar has said Sanju Samson must work on his shot selection if he wants a regular place in the national side.

Samson, captain of Rajasthan Royals, once again failed to contribute with the bat during his team’s final-over win against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.

The captain could only muster four off five balls, with his side setting a target of 185 runs.
PBKS almost crossed the target in the 20th over of their chase, but pacer Kartik Tyagi had other ideas. The youngster took two wickets in the over, dismissing Nicholas Pooran and Deepak Hooda. The wickets proved to be crucial as RR won by two runs.

Speaking on Star Sports, Gavaskar said what has let Samson down “is the shot selection. Even at the international level, he doesn’t open the batting there”.

“He looks to hit the first ball out of the ground. That is impossible. That is absolutely impossible even if you’ve been in the richest vein of form. You have got to maybe knock it around for maybe twos and threes and get the feet moving and then look to play,” Gavaskar said.

“That is something he is going to watch out for; because otherwise, it is going to be a waste of such god-given talent. I have always said that a lot of shot selection boils down to temperament. That is what separates the men from the boys. And therefore, for him to go on and be a regular player for India, his shot selection has to be that much better,” he said.

Samson, 26, made his India debut in 2015, but has since then only played in one ODI and 10 T20Is.

Even in the IPL, Samson has gone hot and cold on several occasions. Despite having scored a ton in IPL 2021, Samson is seventh in the Orange Cap race with 281 runs from eight games.

RR will face Delhi Capitals in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.