‘If so, then no use in having Sanju in team, instead select Pant’; BCCI draws criticism

CUTTACK: India took a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20 series against South Africa by winning the first game by 101 runs. India batted first as they lost the toss, scoring 175 runs for 6 wickets in 20 overs. Chasing a target of 176 runs, South Africa was all out for just 74 runs in 12.3 overs. The victory of India was built together by Hardik Pandya's half-century with the bat and the bowling contributions where Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Axar Patel each took two wickets. Additionally, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube claimed one wicket each.

Although Malayali player Sanju Samson was in the squad, he was not included yesterday in the playing eleven. As Shubman Gill returned as the opener, Jitesh Sharma got the opportunity as the wicketkeeper. Criticism against this is getting strong. The questions are raised on why a player like Sanju, who has good records against South Africa, is being ignored for Gill.

South Africa got the wicket of opening batsman Shubman Gill (4) in the third ball. With this, criticisms were raised against the management, even from the former players. If BCCI is proceeding with the project Gill, then it must stop insulting a talented player like Sanju Samson by selecting him to the team, said Joy Bhattacharjya, the former director of Kolkata Knight Riders, in an interview.

´Sanju is a player who has scored three centuries as an opener. It will not be effective to replace him in the middle order. Wicket-keeper finisher Pant is better suited for playing in the middle order. It is almost confirmed that Gill is fixed in the opener position in the Twenty20 World Cup. If Sanju is not playing in the top order, then there is no use in bringing him into the team. Instead, choose Pant. He is a player playing in the fifth and sixth positions’- said Bhattacharjya.