Sanju Samson-Abhishek Sharma instructed to keep taking risks despite getting out

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen shared his thoughts on the inconsistency of Indian openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma in the ongoing five-match T20I series against England at home, as the tourists won the third game by 26 runs in Rajkot on January 28.

After the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, India has relied on this new opening pair, and they even delivered impressively under Suryakumar Yadav's aggressive leadership. But in the ongoing T20I series, India's top four batters have been struggling to get runs against England.

Kevin Pietersen weighs in on India's new opening pair's struggle against England

Sanju Samson came into the ongoing T20I series against England on the back of his successful series against South Africa and Bangladesh, while Abhishek Sharma was also impressive since his debut but could not make big scores consistently for the Men in Blue.

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Abhishek hit a match-winning fifty in the first T20I in Kolkata but struggled in the next two games against England. On the other hand, Sanju Samson scored only 34 runs across the three games in the ongoing five-match T20I series against England.

Well, Kevin Pietersen admitted that attacking cricket doesn't always lead to success but expressed confidence in Samson to come back stronger, given his strong track record with the fearless approach. He advised the duo to keep taking risks as that’s the only way to get better.

You've got to take risks at the top of the order: Kevin Pietersen tells Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson

Kavin Pietersen was quoted as saying by Star Sports: “I just think that on occasions you get stuck, and that's life. You've got to take risks at the top of the order. Same as Abhishek Sharma, same as all these batters. They're taking risks at the top of the order. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but more often than not, Samson comes up with the goods.”

Pietersen expressed his admiration for Samson's batting skills and praised his mental toughness. The cricket pundit also acknowledged that things are very unpredictable in T20I cricket.

Pietersen further added, “I think mentally he's sound and I really like Sanju Samson as a batter. I actually love him. I was pretty surprised that he hasn't had more of a consistent role over the last few years. Yes, he's got a game here at the top of the order, but listen, these things happen.”

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Sanju Samson plays the short ball extremely well: Kevin Pietersen dismisses concerns over the short-pitched deliveries

Furthermore, Kevin Pietersen dismissed concerns about Sanju Samson's struggles against Jofra Archer's short-pitched deliveries in the ongoing T20I series between India and England. He expressed confidence in Samson's technique, saying it is as solid as any top batter's he has.

Pietersen signed off by saying, “If he keeps doing it over the next six weeks or he does it over the next couple of months, then I'd probably have a look at it and start to question his technique. But I think that he's a fabulous player. I think he plays the short ball extremely well. So, from that standpoint, there's no way that I'm going to stand here and critique his play of the short ball.”

Notably, India will next face England in the fourth T20I in Pune on January 31, followed by the fifth and final T20I on February 2 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Then, the two teams will play a three-match ODI series followed by the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.