Sanju Samson, one of India's finest talents, hasn't been able to replicate his impressive domestic performances in international cricket.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Experimentation with direction is prudent, necessary even. Without it, it’s just an inane exercise in self-indulgence. In this case, to appease a long-lost cause is akin to denting the cause of immediate future.
We as a people have a fetish for a good comeback story, all the more in Sanju Samson’s case for his relatable face and innate talent elicit sympathy and prompt many to say ‘he didn’t get a long enough rope’.
True as that might be for he has only played 13 One-Day Internationals and 22 Twenty20 Internationals since making his India debut in 2015, Samson isn’t the way forward.
Sure, the selectors missed the trick a few years ago when he was at his pomp - if one might call it so - but to inject him into a side now when he’s pushing 29, is inexplicable given the nature of the months to come.
While there is logic in giving young talent more game time to see how they forge or cave under pressure, what sense does it make to give as much time and space to a temperamental talent when the biggest tournament in cricket is a couple of months away?
Had there been nothing on the horizon, the management’s desire to pander to those who demand Samson’s inclusion - and there are quite a few of them - can be justified, but the Asia Cup is a couple of weeks away and the World Cup is in October.
In the lead up, Samson has scored 60 runs in two ODIs in the recent series against West Indies, and has 32 runs in the three T20Is he did get the chance to bat in. As a keeper he has never looked out of sorts so that was never a concern, but his batting is a different thing altogether.
Also, the fact that Samson put up these numbers against this West Indian side is reason enough to put him on the back burner going ahead. That won’t be the case, though, because he’s also part of the Indian squad headed to Ireland for a three-match T20I series.
Since making his first-class debut for Kerala in 2011, Samson has scored but 3446 runs from 58 matches at an average of 38.71, and in List A cricket he has accumulated 3074 runs from 117 games at an average of 32.35.
His numbers in T20s are rather impressive with 6011 runs from 246 games at an average of 28.35 and a strike rate of 132.95 across all domestic leagues.
Samson is talented, no doubt, but does he inspire confidence? Does his arrival at the crease settle the nerves? Has he done justice to the talent he possesses? The short answer is 'no'. The long answer is 'not nearly'.
Saba Karim reckons otherwise. “He is one of the most talented batters India has ever seen,” says the former Indian ’keeper. “The fact is that he hasn't gotten enough chances in his career, and that has transpired into him not seeming consistent.”
When presented with the numbers, including his age, Karim shot down suggestions that he was too old for the gig. “He’s not old, more importantly, he has a great attitude. He will not for once say that he has done justice to the opportunities he has received, he’s humble,” says the former selector.
One of the factors - one would safely assume - which came in the way of Samson’s progress was the abundance of talent per slot in the side during his formative years, including the behemoth that is MS Dhoni. That, and a steady stream of other wicketkeeper-batters, could explain Samson’s exclusion, besides his own battle with temperance of course.
“I don’t think that’s true,” opines Karim. “Had he had more chances, there is no doubt that he would have scored more runs, big runs. But the fact is that he didn’t do what Dhoni did, come into the side with a sliver of a chance and make the position his own with a series of big knocks. That’s on Sanju, and he’ll be the first to admit the same.”
Samson's ability to face his accountability mirror could be a reason for coach Rahul Dravid’s soft corner for the man from Kerala, but letting emotions come in the way of rationale has rarely been the leitmotif of champions.