Sanju Samson's time running out? Aakash Chopra highlights his elegance but calls for big runs to avoid being dropped

Sanju Samson is back in the spotlight as the Indian cricket team's head coach Gautam Gambhir and the team management offered him another chance to prove his worth on the international stage.

Samson was dubbed as one of the future talents for Indian cricket when he made his debut in 2015, but his journey has been a rollercoaster, as he could never make the most of the given chances.

Now, with the retirement of the legendary batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from T20I cricket, the talented wicketkeeper-batter finds some rays to shine and stake his claim in India’s T20I squad.

Pressure mounts on Sanju Samson as he fights for consistency in India’s T20I team

In the ongoing three-match T20I series against Bangladesh, Samson was given the crucial role of opening the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma. It was a golden opportunity, which he got because Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill were rested, but he couldn't make the most of his chance in Gwalior.

However, Samson’s 19-ball stay produced a brisk 29, filled with glimpses of his trademark elegance and timing. But once again, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain failed to convert a strong start into a big score, which left cricket experts like Aakash Chopra and national selectors wondering about his consistency.

Chopra highlighted how well Samson played after Abhishek Sharma was run out. He emphasized that Samson's smooth and effortless batting stood out, as he focused more on timing rather than power-hitting in the first T20I against Bangladesh.

The cricket pandit further opined that Samson's graceful strokes, even when others were going for big hits, made his batting look effortless as if he was calmly finding the gaps without putting too much force into his shots.

The silken touch was seen: Aakash Chopra on Sanju Samson

Chopra further went on to mention how Gautam Gambhir was always in favor of Samson being in the Indian cricket team, saying his absence from the national team would be a loss for the county.

Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel, “You need to talk about Sanju Samson. Abhishek Sharma was playing amazingly well until he was there, but he got run out. But how well did Sanju play? Gautam Gambhir said long back that if Sanju Samson doesn't play for India, it's India's loss. He was made to open.

The silken touch was seen. He wasn't hitting the ball hard. It seemed like he didn't want to hurt the ball, and he was hitting one four after another. When everyone was hitting, he also hit, but by caressing the ball. You were getting hit; you were bleeding, but you were not feeling the pain.”

Sanju Samson needs to score big runs to retain his place in the Indian cricket team

However, the pressure is mounting, and the shadow of being dropped looms larger over his career. As the expectations are high and the competition is fierce, Chopra feels Samson’s window of opportunity is narrowing, and if he fails to put up a big score in a couple of matches, he will once again be left on the sidelines.

Chopra signed off by saying, “He is good. He scored 29 runs. My only thing was that since he had reached here, he should go slightly further ahead. He should score a few more runs because, otherwise, they would drop him. He keeps moving in and out (of the side) and up and down (the batting order).”