Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has opined on the importance of the
third T20I against New Zealand for Sanju Samson. He said that Tilak Varma might return to the team for the fourth T20I as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “This could be the most important match of Sanju Samson’s life. I say that because this is the third match, Tilak Varma might be available after this match, and you might see him playing the match on the 28th. Then only one of Ishan Kishan and Sanju will play. So who will be that player? In the first two matches, both got out in the first match, Ishan Kishan scored 76 runs off 32 balls in the second match, and he has now run ahead in that race.”

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However, Aakash Chopra also wondered whether Sanju Samson has been treated fairly.

“I am wondering what we have done with Sanju Samson. When you made him open for the first time, you said you would give him seven matches. Sanju went and scored three hundreds, and he was the toast of the nation. However, after that, there was a series against England, where he didn’t score runs and got out similarly in all five innings. After that, he had a middling IPL because he was injured. Then India had already pivoted when the next T20 event happened. They had changed the philosophy because of that one bad series, that they didn’t need striker Sanju, but Shubman Gill as a stable anchor,” Chopra shared.

“They made Gill the vice-captain, but didn’t drop Sanju because they might have had a slight guilt as well since Sanju hadn’t done that badly. Then he was made to bat in different positions. Then you pivoted again and said you would make Sanju the main keeper because we don’t need Shubman Gill,” Aakash Chopra concluded.