Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif said that Sanju Samson is ready for the 2023 World Cup and he could make an impact at No. 4 or 5 if given a chance As well. However, Team India are uncertain of their middle order for the upcoming ICC event due to multiple injury issues whereas KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are out of action for a few months, and Rishabh Pant is currently recovering from his injuries sustained during the horrific accident.
“I am massively impressed by Samson. He played an impactful knock, whether at four or five, he has done it in the past,” he was quoted as saying by PTI during the launch of Amrit Mathur’s book ‘Pitchside’ on Wednesday, August 2. “Sending Kishan or Axar Patel in the middle-order is not a great idea. You need someone who can play left-arm spin, leg spin and Samson can do that. His knock in the third ODI came under pressure and he is ready for the World Cup.”
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While Axar Patel batted at No. 4 in the second ODI against West Indies, he was dismissed cheaply, Sanju Samson came in at the same position in the third match and he scored 51 off 41 as well. However, Kaif did not like the idea of Axar batting at No. 4 in ODI cricket. He also opined that if captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli wanted to take a break, they should not have been part of the ODI series in West Indies as well. Notably, without them, India lost the second ODI in West Indies by six wickets but won the third match.
“If Rohit Sharma and Kohli had to take a break then they should not have been part of the squad. I won’t judge the team for what it has done on the West Indies tour. I will judge them from Asia Cup and the 15 they pick for the tournament. From Asia Cup onwards, they have to be sure what their 11 is and what their backups are,” he stated.
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“He will be in the squad as he has done well. I am not sure if Kishan, SKY, Samson and Iyer, all of them won’t be in the 15. It remains to be seen if Kishan will be the back-up wicket keeper to Rahul. World Cup for India will start with the semi-final. They will need to win two big games to lift the title,” Mohammad Kaif concluded.
