NEW DELHI: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Monday threw his weight behind Sanju Samson, backing him to be a regular in India’s white ball squads and expressing surprise at the criticism directed at the flamboyant keeper batsman ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Samson smashed an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls, his first fifty in 13 innings, to anchor India’s 196 run chase in what turned out to be a virtual quarterfinal against the West Indies on Sunday.
Calling it an outstanding innings, Ganguly said: “He’s a very good player. He should consistently play for India in white-ball cricket — 100 per cent.
“It was a virtual quarterfinal, and to be 97 not out shows his quality. He’s that sort of a player… when he gets in, he will hurt the opposition.”
The knock came on a day when India’s established batters — Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya — fell cheaply.
However, Samson soaked in the pressure, paced the chase with maturity and stayed till the end, playing a largely risk free innings.
“He played to the situation, and that was important. What it teaches all of us is that the same boy who, in the last six months, could not find his place in the team – whether it was Ishan Kishan opening or somebody else coming in.
“Just before the World Cup, I used to read headlines saying ‘Sanju fails again’, ‘he should not deserve a place’, ‘India has so much talent, why is Shubman Gill not in the side?’ – and yet here is a boy in a quarterfinal game, gets 97 not out and takes you to the semifinal,” Ganguly added.
England tougher than West Indies
Ganguly also cautioned that England will pose a sterner test than the West Indies and stressed that India must maintain their clinical approach to clear the semifinal hurdle in Mumbai.
India produced a near perfect chase to defeat West Indies by five wickets in a high scoring do or die clash at Eden Gardens on Sunday, setting up a semifinal showdown against England at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
“England will be a stronger opposition than the West Indies. They have to play just like they won yesterday,” Ganguly said on the sidelines of the CII West Bengal’s Annual Meeting & Conference.
After a slow start to their campaign, the Harry Brook led side found momentum at the right time, winning all three Super Eights matches to top Group 2 and march into the semifinals with confidence.
For India, the biggest boost has been Samson’s timely return to form at the top of the order following a disappointing series against New Zealand in the lead up to the T20 showpiece.
(With PTI Inputs)
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