Saba Karim said that Sanju Samson has a tough road ahead as his place is uncertain as an Indian wicketkeeper-batter. The selectors chose KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan before him as the two keeper-batters in India’s 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. However, he has been included as a travelling reserve due to uncertainties surrounding Rahul’s availability because of a niggle as well.
During a discussion on JioCinema, Saba Karim said: “It is a tough phase for Sanju Samson, let us admit that first, because now it seems in the pecking order you have KL Rahul, then you have Ishan Kishan, and then comes Sanju Samson. It’s also the way he looks at his future in international cricket. Does he look at himself as a wicketkeeper-batter or does he think of himself as a batter? The kind of potential he has, everybody knows he is so gifted. At times, there has been some kind of question mark over his consistency. Having said that, I do believe that he hasn’t got a long rope from the selectors due to different circumstances.”
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However, Sanju Samson has played just 13 ODIs and 24 T20Is so far since making his international way back in July 2015. He played in the recent limited-overs series against West Indies and Ireland but failed to make the most of his opportunities. He also believes Sanju Samson needs to improve his keeping if he wants to be considered as a first-choice wicketkeeper-batter.
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“The road ahead for him is to number one work hard on his wicketkeeping if he wants to be considered as a wicketkeeper-batter. There are some areas of concern for him but with the kind of talent he has, if he works hard, goes back to the drawing board, I am sure he will be a much better keeper next time around. In terms of his batting, he has to continue with this similar kind of intensity, be more consistent, but I think impactful is more important. That’s what we require from Sanju Samson going forward,” Saba Karim concluded.
