Former India captain and ex-BCCI chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has criticised the Indian team management over Sanju Samson's exclusion from the recently concluded T20I series against Zimbabwe, arguing that the wicketkeeper-batter has not received the same backing as some of his teammates.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth questioned why Samson, who was India's standout performer during the T20 World Cup earlier this year, was overlooked despite his match-winning contributions. The former selector suggested there appeared to be inconsistency in the opportunities being handed to players, pointing specifically to opener Abhishek Sharma.
"Samson was the MVP of the World Cup. Why does he not get the chance, and Abhishek gets chances
like this? It is a very valid question. Abhishek is getting a long rope; then why not Samson? Why is this happening with one player and not with the other?" Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
While defending Samson's credentials, Srikkanth also offered constructive advice to the Kerala batter, urging him to make slight adjustments to his approach rather than playing high-risk cricket from the outset.
According to Srikkanth, Samson possesses the ability to accelerate at any stage of an innings and would benefit from spending more time at the crease before shifting gears.
"I hope he comes good. He has to find another way of scoring runs. Or the other way out is to probably cool down for a few balls. He is one guy who can always make up. You play at 100 strike rate for a while and then take it to 200 rather than throwing it away," he added.
Samson's omission came despite an outstanding T20 World Cup campaign, where he completed a dramatic turnaround after initially losing his place in the playing XI because of poor form.
The experienced wicketkeeper-batter fought his way back into the side and finished the tournament as India's highest run-scorer, while ending as the third-highest run-getter overall. His performances were instrumental in India's successful title-winning campaign, earning him the Player of the Tournament award.
Srikkanth's remarks have once again brought the spotlight on India's selection policies, with the former selector insisting that players delivering on the biggest stage deserve consistent backing rather than being sidelined immediately after a successful tournament.
