Aakash Chopra believes Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma were selected ahead of Ishan Kishan in India’s
T20I squad for the series against Afghanistan because they can bat in the middle order.
The opening game of the three-match T20I series between the Men in Blue and Afghanistan will be played at
Mohali on Thursday, January 11, with the other games taking place in Indore and Bengaluru.
On Sunday, the selectors named a 16-man roster for the series, with Samson and Jitesh serving as wicketkeeper alternatives.
Chopra observed in a video posted to his YouTube channel that no explanation has been provided for Samson’s replacement of Kishan as a wicketkeeper-batter option:
The two wicketkeepers are Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson, albeit Samson was not maintained as a keeper in the previous two series.
Ishan Kishan was supposed to be there as a keeper, but he is no longer there. Nobody knows why Ishan Kishan isn’t present; that’s another tale.
The former India opener believes that the paucity of available top-order berths compelled the selectors to pick Samson and Jitesh.
You have unexpectedly filled the opening. Virat Kohli bats at No. 3 and does not bat at No. 4. As a result, the keeper must bat down the order.
Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson are the only two keeping alternatives who can bat down the order.
Kishan dropped out of the recent South African Test series for personal reasons.
There is no word on whether he was overlooked for the Afghanistan T20Is or whether he is still unavailable for selection.
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It’s not required for him to be able to do that – Aakash Chopra on Sanju Samson’s ability to bat in the middle order
Sanju Samson’s selection as a possible middle-order wicketkeeper-batter said to Aakash Chopra, is based on hope rather than real ability at those positions.
You’re presuming Samson will turn down the order. He doesn’t have to be able to accomplish it since you haven’t seen him do it.
To be fair, he also bats at the top of the order for the Rajasthan Royals.
Jitesh Sharma, is the only wicketkeeper who bats consistently in the middle order, according to the cricketer-turned-commentator. He stated:
Jitesh Sharma is the only legitimate keeper who bats further down the order; everyone else, whether it’s KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, or Ishan Kishan, bats at the top.
Play at No. 4 or No. 5 in the IPL if any of them wants to boost his case.
Chopra finished by saying that any wicketkeeper-batsman who isn’t ready to bat in the middle order in the
IPL 2024 should not expect to be selected for the Indian team for the T20 World Cup in 2024.
He went on to say that players should bat for the franchise at the position they desire to play for India.
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