India captain Rohit Sharma lavished praise on wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson, who was been drafted into the T20I team for a three-match series against Sri Lanka, beginning in Lucknow today.
Samson, 27, last played for India in a T20I series against Sri Lanka (SL) last July. He made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe in 2015, and has scored just 117 in 10 T20I games. He hit a run-a-ball 46 against Sri Lanka in the lone ODI he played last July. However, in the 2021 IPL, Samson led Rajasthan Royals from the front, scoring an impressive 484 runs.
It is this performance that has impressed the Team India captain. “That guy [Samson] has got talent. Whenever we have seen him bat in the IPL, he has just produced an innings where everyone goes over the moon watching it. He has got the skillset to succeed. I think it’s up to Sanju now to understand how he wants to utilise his talent and how he can maximise it,” Rohit said at the pre-match virtual press conference on Wednesday.
Considering the upcoming T20I World Cup in Australia this October-November, Rohit felt Samson will be an asset to the team if he does justice to his potential. “His [Samson’s] back-foot play is superb. Some of the shots you might have seen during the IPL—the pick-up pull, the cut shots, standing and delivering over the bowler’s head. Those kinds of shots are not easy to play. And I believe when you go to Australia [for the T20I World Cup], you need that kind of shot-making ability. Samson definitely has it in him. I just wish him the best and hope that he utilises his potential to the maximum,” added Rohit adding that the team management are keen to take Samson along to Australia.
“The team management sees a lot of potential, we see a lot of talent, and we see a lot of match-winning abilities in that individual. I hope we give him [Samson] that confidence when he gets the opportunity to play for us. I hope he understands that. Definitely he is in consideration [for the Australia tour], which is why he is part of the team,” concluded Rohit.
