India’s 20-20 World Cup 2022 campaign did not end well, with England trashing them in the semi-finals by 10 wickets. After the mega-event, India is now in New Zealand to compete in a complete white-ball series. In the absence of some of the senior players, many young players will be seen on the tour.
Sanju Samson, the wicketkeeper-batter, is among the 16-man squad and will be looking for consistency and to cement his place in the lineup. Samson made his T20I debut in 2015 but has only played in 15 matches so far. Samson has 296 runs in 15 innings with a strike rate of 135.15 and one half-century.
One of the primary reasons, aside from inconsistency, was the presence of the legendary MS Dhoni and the emergence of Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeper-batter’s slot. Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif believes Samson was ready to play for India but was not selected for the 20-20 World Cup in Australia, where the team lost in the semifinals.
“Speaking of the future, I think one player was ready but was still not picked for the World Cup. Sanju Samson was ready for the No.5 position. He has been playing IPL for many years and has been leading Rajasthan Royals (RR) as well. He guided them to the final too this year,” Kaif told Sportskeeda.
“Samson played match-winning knocks in West Indies. When 2-3 wickets fall, he comes in and attacks. He has the ability to take on spinners and hit them for fours and sixes. He was ready but was not picked for the World Cup. That was a mistake,” he added.
India tour of New Zealand
Meanwhile, India will play the Black Caps in three T20Is beginning on Friday, followed by the same number of ODIs. The first of the three T20Is is about to go underway in some time at the Sky Stadium in Wellington. Both these teams will look for redemption after their semi-final exit in the 20-20 World Cup 2022.
