Indian Team Should Be Patient With Sanju Samson And Manish Pandey - Aakash Chopra
Updated - 05 Dec 2020, 02:17 PM
Former India cricketer, Aakash Chopra believes that Sanju Samson and Manish Pandey should be continued to be picked in the eleven for the remainder of the T20I series against Australia.
Samson and Pandey played their first game of the tour on Friday in the first T20I in Canberra. Both the batsman had an impressive IPL in the UAE. Samson scored 375 runs for Rajasthan Royals at a strike rate of 158 with three half-centuries. Pandey amassed 425 runs including three fifties as Sunrisers Hyderabad finished third on the points table.
It’s tough to bat in the new role: Aakash Chopra
While Samson had an impressive outing in the first T20I, Pandey failed to make his chance count. The Royals’ wicket-keeper played a cameo of 23 runs from 15 balls and Pandey made just 2 from 8 deliveries. Aakash Chopra refrained to comment much on their performances.
He pointed out that both the batsman were batting in a different position than they generally do. Samson batted at number 4 whereas he played in the top three for most of his IPL season. Similarly, Pandey, who bats normally at number 3 and 4 for Sunrisers, came in at number 5 on Friday. Hence, Aakash Chopra feels that it is difficult to bat in a new position suddenly.
In his YouTube video, Aakash Chopra said, “I am not going to say anything to Sanju Samson and Manish Pandey because they were playing their first match. One was played at No.4 and the other at No.5 which is difficult as they play up the order in the IPL. So, it is slightly tough as you get a new role here.”
The 43-year-old also suggests that the selectors and the management should be patient with the two batsmen. He reckons that both of them should not be dropped in the series. Pandey played in all the 5 T20Is in New Zealand and didn’t get out even once.
“The Indian team should be patient with Sanju Samson and Manish Pandey and not drop them now after you have played them a match,” Aakash Chopra added.
On the back of Ravindra Jadeja’s 44* off 23 balls, and his concussion substitute, Yuzvendra Chahal’s 3-fer, India defeated the hosts by 11 runs. The second T20I is scheduled for Sunday in Sydney.
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India Manish Pandey Sanju Samson