Sanju Samson has struggled to secure a consistent place in the Indian team, experiencing intermittent appearances. Although he was part of the New Zealand series, he was subsequently dropped for the Bangladesh tour. However, Samson has once again been selected for the upcoming ODI series against West Indies, presenting him with another opportunity to showcase his skills in the absence of Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. A good performance in this series could potentially secure his spot for the upcoming ODI World Cup. Therefore, former India head coach Ravi Shastri expressed his belief that Samson has yet to fully realize his potential. Recognizing him as a game-changer, Shastri emphasized his disappointment if the talented cricketer ends his career without achieving star status.
“Sanju (Samson) is yet to realise his potential. He is a match-winner. There is something that is missing. I will be disappointed if he does not finish his career all guns blazing. It is like when I was the coach, I would have been disappointed if Rohit Sharma had not played in my side as a regular Test player. Hence, his opening the batting. I feel similar with Sanju,”
Shastri said.
You have a lot of injuries these days, you should always be prepared: Shastri
According to Ravi Shastri, in the absence of key players like KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, and Prasidh Krishna, it is crucial for the team management to maintain a pool of 15-20 players who are prepared at all times. Shastri further highlighted the example of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in 2020-21, where he had Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar ready, and they ended up playing significant roles in the fourth Test against Australia at the Gabba.
Shastri said:
“You have a lot of injuries these days. I always like a pool of 15-20. You should always be prepared, you should have a plan B, plan C. For example, when we went to Australia for that famous series in 2021, we took about 30 players. On the flight, there was Shardul Thakur and I think there was Washi [Washington Sundar], who were chatting with me.”
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