Selection dilemma in Indian cricket team: Sanju Samson under pressure again

NEW DELHI: The selection dilemma for the opening slot in the Indian cricket team is worsening, even though the team comfortably won the T20 match against Afghanistan on the last day in Delhi.

The decision to include Sanju Samson in the playing XI while leaving out 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has not been received well by many fans of the game. Sanju returned to the team after a small hiatus. With Abhishek Sharma’s name also emerging as a contender for the opening position alongside Sanju and Vaibhav, the confusion prevails. On Sunday, Sanju and Abhishek got the opportunity to play in the opening role.

India restricted Afghanistan, who batted first, to 156 for 8 in 20 overs. In reply, India chased down the target in 13.4 overs for the loss of three wickets. Opener Abhishek Sharma delivered a spectacular performance, scoring 82 runs off 32 balls; his innings included seven fours and six sixes.

Meanwhile, Sanju Samson had a lacklustre game after getting dismissed for just ten runs. With this, the pressure once again clouded over Sanju to somehow fight to remain in the squad.

The selectors felt let down after Sanju couldn’t deliver what was expected of him despite being given a chance after replacing an in-form Vaibhav. Sanju's future chances are again in the balance as the player seemed to have fallen into the spiral of inconsistency again.

The Malayali cricketer has been under pressure since his debut in the Indian squad. Despite giving stunning performances, Sanju had to fight for his place with stars like Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Yashaswi Jaiswal during his initial years.

With two consecutive centuries against South Africa in 2024, Sanju strengthened his chances of becoming a permanent presence in the Twenty20 team. Later, with Gill dropped from the Twenty20 format, Sanju showed promise in the opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma but then emerged boy-wonder Vaibhav. Adding to the mix comes Ishan Kishan, the wicketkeeper-batsman who remains consistent in his performances.