Will Sanju Samson Be Dropped Once Tilak Varma Makes His Comeback?

The T20 World Cup is less than two weeks away and the Indian team has a tough decision to make. Tilak Varma, India's number three batsman, will be making his return just in time for the tournament. At the same time, there are questions whether Samson will be dropped from the team in place of Varma or not.

The Indian team might go through a big change in this dominant squad ahead of the T20 World Cup. India has been rolling in the series against New Zealand, winning all three games till now. But the team is playing without their key number three batsman, Tilak Varma. And at the same time, there are questions on who will be dropped once Tilak Varma comes in.

Every batsman is now giving his best to keep themselves in the team ahead of the tournament. But all eyes lie on Sanju Samson, who has failed to deliver big scores lately. The Indian team bought Ishan Kishan as a replacement for Tilak, and he has been able to do well for the team. This has now put Sanju Samson’s place in question.

1. Kishan Shines, Samson Flops

The series against New Zealand has been crucial for both Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson. The Indian team has played with two wicket-keepers in all three games of the series. And it can be easily said that Ishan Kishan has been a better performer as compared to Sanju Samson in this series, by a great margin.

He scored 10 runs in the first T20I, which is also his highest score in the series. In the second game he was able to score just 6 runs, but he maintained his aggressive batting style. Later in the third match, he went out for a Golden Duck, and this put him out of the battle against Ishan Kishan. The last two games will be important for Samson to prove his place in the team.

On the other hand, Ishan Kishan made his comeback to the Indian team after more than 2 years. He was able to score just 8 runs in the first T20I but made his real comeback in the next game. Kishan scored 76 runs and also won the POTM award in this game. Even in the third match he scored 28 runs off 13 balls, putting India ahead in the game.

2. Aakash Chopra Speaks on Samson's Form

Aakash Chopra, former Indian cricketer and cricket analyst, has talked about this matter. There have been concerns within the team about who would be able to make it to the T20 World Cup. While the Indian team dropped Shubman Gill to have Samson open, the latter has also not been able to do well lately.

Aakash posted a video on his YouTube channel where he talked about this. He said, “You might ask whether there could be a fight with 153. It could have been there if a wicket had fallen off the first ball. Sanju Samson got out off the first ball. He got out in the last two matches as well, and Ishan Kishan is playing well however much he is playing.”

He continued by saying, “Ishan Kishan played a short but destructive knock this time too. He batted incredibly well, and by the time his wicket fell at 53, he had made his runs, and he is not stopping anytime soon. So who is ahead in this race? You will have to ask a question. We dropped Gill because there was a new philosophy or ideology and went towards Sanju Samson, but it seems like you won't be able to stay with him for long. If you see their numbers lately, they seem identical.”

He also called the Indian team finding Ishan Kishan to play as an accidental finding. Aakash Chopra said, “Accidentally, you found Ishan Kishan. I feel like it was an accidental finding because something different has happened. Ishan Kishan wasn't part of your original planning. However, if Tilak becomes available for the next game, it will be a call that India must take, whether they should go with Sanju or Ishan Kishan.”

Later in his video, Aakash Chopra also expressed his concern on the form of Sanju Samson. He said. “Someone getting out early is not a problem, but he is not looking good and Ishan is looking extremely good. That is something that is going against him. That is Sanju Samson.”

3. Tilak Varma's Return

Tilak Varma suffered with testicular torsion while he was practicing in the nets for a domestic match. For this, he had to undergo a surgery and missed out on the series against New Zealand. The BCCI said that he has been ruled out for the first three T20Is, but now the reports claim that he might not make it in the New Zealand series.

Although he has recovered and started the training, the Indian team is not willing to take the risk. The reports claim that Tilak Varma will be making his comeback in the warm-up matches ahead of the T20 World Cup. This also means the battle between Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson is likely to extend for two more games.