Asia Cup 2023: Aakash Chopra Believes Sanju Samson Could Have Been Picked Ahead Of Tilak Varma And Suryakumar Yadav
Published - 22 Aug 2023, 03:12 PM | Updated - 22 Aug 2023, 03:51 PM
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Former cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that young wicketkeeper batter Sanju Samson deserves to be part of India’s squad for the upcoming Asia Cup. Aakash Chopra highlighted that Sanju Samson could have been picked in place of Suryakumar Yadav or Tilak Varma.
Sanju Samson was excluded from India’s 17-member squad for the upcoming tournament. However, the right-handed batter was named a travelling reserve. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed that KL Rahul is currently carrying a niggle and could miss a few games.
Sanju Samson Has An Average Of Over 50 – Aakash Chopra
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that Sanju Samson was unlucky to miss the selection despite having a good record in the ODI format.
“The first big news is that Sanju Samson’s name is not there. In whose place could his name have come? He would have come in place of either Tilak or Surya. He could have become a part of the 17 in place of either of them.”
The Kerala wicketkeeper batter scored 390 runs in 12 ODI innings at an average of 55.71 and a strike rate of 104.00. He also recorded a half-century, scoring 51 runs off 41 balls in the third ODI against the West Indies in the recent series.
Sanju Samson Is Definitely The Second Option – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra highlighted that Sanju Samson was a like-for-like backup for KL Rahul as he can keep wickets and bat in the middle order.
“To be very honest, my initial thought was that if a wicketkeeper has to play in the middle order, Sanju Samson is definitely the second option after KL Rahul. However, if a place can be created as an opener, then Ishan Kishan, without a shadow of doubt, is your second wicketkeeper.”
Suryakumar Yadav Hasn’t Been Able To Understand The ODI Template – Aakash Chopra
The cricket commentator said that Suryakumar Yadav was named in the squad due to his impressive T20I career. Chopra highlighted Tilak Varma’s inclusion because of his left-handed batting and part-time bowling.
“Suryakumar Yadav’s story in ODI cricket has not been good. We all know that he is a very good player and we also want his ODI career to flourish but the truth is that he hasn’t been able to understand the ODI template thus far. The problem is that you have very little time.”
“Tilak Varma does not have any work experience at all in ODI cricket. He has a lot of potential. He bats left-handed and bowls a little as well. No one bowls in India’s top five. So Tilak Varma has been selected to resolve that issue.”
