Sanju Samson remains one of the most talented batters in Indian cricket. On form, there aren’t many better hitters of the ball than Samson in Indian cricket but his inconsistency remains a topic of debate for many. Despite opinions over his status as an international cricketer divided, Rajasthan Royals coach Kumar Sangakkara feels Samson will make India return soon.
Leading Rajasthan Royals this season, Samson has done fine on a personal level, sitting at the No. 2 spot in terms of the top run-scorers in the competition. But, for his franchise, it’s been a similar tale. A change in captaincy was supposed to take the franchise to new heights but the absence of key players and inconsistency of those available saw the franchise all but drop out of playoffs contention.
Samson, who was hoping to refuel his India return hopes, especially in lieu of the twin T20 World Cups that are to take place this year and the next. Though the national selectors might have a different idea, Sangakkara feels the wicket-keeper batsman is ready for India return.
“Yeah, we do have one-on-one chats on a lot of things. India aspirations come at a time when the IPL is over. Our chats are very much IPL-focused. Not just his batting but about captaincy, about the team and how we are playing. He is a very good player and a special talent. He has done exceptionally well for us this season. I am sure he has aspirations to play for India and, at some point, I think he will be selected for a longer run. He is good and ready at anytime that he is picked,” he was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.
Though there’s no denying that the likes of Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler have been missed by Rajasthan in the second phase of the campaign, other overseas stars like Chris Morris and Liam Livingstone haven’t done as well as they would’ve liked. Morris, who was the costliest purchase of the IPL 2021 season in the auction, has looked pretty underwhelming and even Sangakkara didn’t deny that.
“We are going to take it as a side that best matches up to the opposition. Morris did brilliantly for us in the first half. He hasn’t done as well as he would have liked to or we would have liked. He knows and we know it. The 50 runs off four overs, the last over was a throw of the dice to get a wicket here to there. We were well out of the game at that point. But he has done well for us in certain parts. Whoever we think of picking next, it would be the best person to come into the side to play against the opposition that we face,” said the Sri Lanka legend.
Rajasthan presently sit 7th in the IPL points table with 4 wins in 11 games. With three games to go in the league stage of the campaign, the franchise has an outside chance of making it to the top four.
