Sanju Samson has been called back to the Indian team for a 2-match T20 series against Ireland. The RR skipper had a great IPL season overall. Under him, RR reached the final of the league. With the bat, he amassed 458 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of 146.79, with the highest score of 55.
It is not the first time Samson has made it to the Indian team. He has been in and out of the national setup for some time now. He performs well, dons the blue jersey, and exuberates brilliance for a while, but then he vanishes till the next IPL season.
Samson fans would hope that it isn't the case this time around. With Rohit Sharma at the helm for the World Cup down-under, Samson must be assured of a long rope. You cannot get performances out of a player like Samson till the time he is playing for his place in the team. No player, let alone Samson, can perform under such pressure.
In selectors' defence, Samson hasn't really made the opportunities count. Even in the IPL season gone by, Sanju performed, but his scores were limited the to late 20s and 30s. He may have played an attacking brand of cricket, but consistently getting out in the 20s and 30s did not really help his case.
Rohit Sharma said that a player like Samson, who has extra time and plays brilliantly on the back foot, would be a great asset to have in Australia.
But again, Samson needs backing, his place in the eleven shouldn't be up for debate for a while, and that is when you can hold him responsible for his performances.
A series here and there, two or three matches here and there, won't make a difference. You need to trust and back Samson. It's an old saying that when talent meets opportunity, wonderful things can happen.
Sanju is the talent here, but he needs to meet the right kind of opportunity at the highest level. Samson can be the X-factor that India needs. All he needs is backing.
