India to play Sanju Samson in place of Shivam Dube? Wasim Jaffer sends huge message to Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid

Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer opened up about the possibility of Sanju Samson playing in the team for the remaining part of the T20 World Cup 2024. He said that there might be a case that the keeper-batter might get a nod at No.4 but as per him it will depend on the team management. 

India National Cricket Team have played a fantastic brand of cricket in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. They played three games at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York and won all three of them, which helped them to qualify for the Super 8 stage of the tournament. 

Although they won three games, there were a few areas of concern as well. One of them was the form of Shivam Dube in the playing XI. He couldn't get going in the warmup game against Bangladesh and when the tournament started, a similar kind of story unfolded for the big-hitting all-rounder. 

Shivam Dube looked completely out of touch in the game against Pakistan and received a lot of criticism. There were even calls that Sanju Samson should be included in the team as the keeper-batter was in terrific touch throughout the entire Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. 

However, team management backed Shivam Dube in the next game as well against the United States of America. The all-rounder didn't look in gold nick but he managed to stay there till the end and got some good game time, playing a knock of unbeaten 31 and finishing the game from the team. 

Wasim Jaffer claimed that there might be a case for Sanju Samson in the team but he was quick to quip that team management is favoring Shivam Dube as he is getting longer rope. Talking about the combination going ahead, he stated: 

"There might be a case for Sanju Samson at No. 4. But then Shivam Dube has got just a couple of games and the team management will want to give him a longer run. Whether Samson will play, whether Jaiswal will play, these decisions are something that the team management will need to think about going forward," Wasim Jaffer said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.

You will need to be proactive in the powerplay - Wasim Jaffer 

Wasim Jaffer further added that India will need to be proactive in the powerplay. He claimed that playing slow in the first 6 overs will take the side nowhere. He cited the example of Rishabh Pant, highlighting how he got rewarded against Pakistan. He added: 

"You will need to be proactive in the powerplay. You will reach nowhere if you play cautiously on such pitches because the bowler knows he has to bowl on a spot and let the pitch do the rest. We have seen players like Rishabh Pant get rewarded for their bravery and that's the way you need to play with the powerplay restrictions." 

India will now be seen in action when they will take on Canada in their last league game on 15th July. The match will be played in Florida. It will be a huge opportunity for the team to get their combination right before heading into the Super 8 stage.