Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has questioned where Sanju Samson fits into India’s T20I plans following the emergence of teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, while stressing that the Player of the Tournament from India’s T20 world cup triumph remains an important player.
“What Is the batting order going to look like? Where does Vaibhav Suryavanshi stand, and what about Sanju Samson? How are you going to fit him in? He was such an important player in the World Cup and was dropped midway through that England series. Where does he stand?” Karthik said on Instagram.
Samson was dropped for the second T20I against England in Manchester, paving the way for Sooryavanshi to make his international debut and become India’s youngest player. Samson returned for the fifth T20I but was left out of the squad for the three-match T20I tour of Zimbabwe.
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With India now preparing to face Afghanistan, Karthik felt the bigger question facing the side was establishing a clear identity under Shreyas Iyer , who took over the T20I Captaincy from Suryakumar Yadav in June.
“I want this Indian T20 team to understand what their identity is. New captain, new vice-captain. They haven’t got the result in Ireland or in England. They were absolutely outplayed there. What does it take? What is their plan? What is the bowling looking like? Who are the players you are going to trust? A lot of this is not just about winning the series; it’s about understanding what they need to take out from this series against Afghanistan,” he said.
India endured a difficult run on their recent tours of Ireland and England and will now have a chance to settle on combinations ahead of the Asian Games.
The three-match series against Afghanistan, beginning in New Delhi on Sunday, will be the first of potentially seven T20 matches India play over the next few weeks. Following the series, they will face Japan in a one-off game on September 22 before their Asian Games quarterfinal on September 28. Should they progress, India will then play the semifinal and gold-medal match.
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