10 years of on-and-off play: Ex-India star demands Gautam Gambhir to end 'do-or-die' situation for Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson was unable to make the most of his chance in the second T20I against Sri Lanka. He replaced Shubman Gill who was ruled out of the match with a stiff neck.

Samson opened the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal. With India set to chase 78 in 8 overs in the DLS method, Samson was out for a first-ball duck. Maheesh Theekshana bowled a quicker delivery that breached his defense.

The rest of the batters ensured that India won the match with a few balls to spare but it was an opportunity lost for Sanju Samson. The batter scored a fifty in his last T20I innings against Zimbabwe before the second T20I against Sri Lanka. The story of Sanju Samson international cricket has been one that has more misses than hits.

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Despite making his T20I debut in 2015, he has not been able to cement his place in the side. He has not been able to score big regularly either. He has batted across all positions but his returns have been limited.

Each Game Is Do-Or-Die For Him: Tinu Yohannan on Sanju Samson

Former Indian bowler Tinu Yohannan feels that Sanju Samson has to be given a longer run in international cricket and needs to be backed by the management. Gambhir himself had praised Samson's class with the bat and now needs to walk the talk and back him.

"He debuted about 10 years ago and after that he has been (playing) on and off. He didn’t get a long run at any time. Each game is like a do-or-die game for him. Almost every time when he walks out to bat, he goes into pressure situations. He has to be given a long run somewhere down the line. He needs backing," Tinu said on Rev Sportz.

He further said that Samson's spot is not in danger with his IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals as opposed to India and with the return of Rishabh Pant the competition gets even tighter.

"At Royals, he knows what his role is. He also knows it doesn’t matter if he fails. I know, in the Indian team it’s very difficult for him to get a long stretch of games, especially now that Rishabh (Pant) has come back. But then, he needs to be given a long run at some point of time," the former Indian pacer said further.

Tinu Yohannan further said that Samson is at his best when he is not playing under pressure which allows him to express himself.

"He is not a guy who puts pressure on himself. He is someone who has a free mind. He is someone who excels when there are no strings attached, in an environment where he can express himself. He scored a century in his last ODI (against South Africa) and now he hasn’t been picked in the ODI squad. He has reached a point where he doesn’t think about it too much. He just goes game by game," said Yohannan.

Samson has struggled in the T20I format for India scoring only 444 runs in 29 matches at an average of just 20.18 and a strike rate of less than 140. His ODI numbers are better. In 16 games, he has scored over 500 runs for India at an average of 56.67 and a strike rate touching 100. He scored his maiden ODI ton against South Africa in his last ODI for India in December 2023.

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