Rishabh Pant might be getting lot of chances because he is left-handed, feels Biju George
Biju George, the coach of Kerala’s wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson, is of the opinion that Rishabh Pant might be getting an extended run in the Indian team due to the team's strategy demanding left-handers. George also said that he was confident of seeing a different Samson this season.
While 2019 was expected to be a breakthrough season for the prodigal youngster Sanju Samson, who had created ripples on the Indian domestic circuit by striking an astonishing double-century in the 2019/20 Vijay Hazare Trophy versus Goa, things didn’t quite go the youngster’s way when it came to national selection. The right-hander spent the entirety of the year warming the bench, with Delhite Rishabh Pant getting the nod over him. Calls for Pant’s ousting and Samson’s inclusion became louder after the former’s barren run with the bat but with KL Rahul instead taking over the gloves from the Delhite, Samson just got to play a total of three T20Is in 2020, in which he returned scores of 6, 8 and 2.
Despite the 25-year-old’s poor returns, however, Pant pipping Samson in the Indian national team’s squads did not go down well with too many fans, but according to the Keralite’s coach Biju George, the reason for the same might be the 22-year-old being a left-hander. George stated that Pant’s inclusion might have a lot to do with the Indian team’s tactics but admitted that he felt that Samson should have gotten more chances.
“If you ask me as a person who is close to Sanju, I would say he should have got more chances. But if you look at the Indian team's point of view - why they are giving Rishabh Pant so many chances? First, he is a left-hander, obviously. Second, Indian team strategies,” George told TOI.
“They might have the World Cup in mind, where they might come up against a team which has got quality left-arm spinners or leg spinners, or a left-arm fast bowler, and that time Pant will be useful. This is my opinion. That's up to the team, captain and coach to take the decision. That the chief selector should decide who is the best suitable to be in the team against an opposition - Pant or Sanju? I don't think this is coming out deliberately not to give anybody a chance.”
Samson’s career has been that of unfulfilled promise but his coach has no idea of giving up on the youngster and, in fact, believes that the 25-year-old is in for the best season of his career. George, the incumbent fielding coach of the SRH franchise, who has been working with the Keralite since his childhood days, attested that the world would witness a ‘different’ Sanju in the coming season. George asserted that Samson, when he steps on to the field post the restart, will be a much cricketer and hoped for the Keralite to establish himself in the Indian set-up.
“Whenever we met this year, we go on long drives, we do long chats and we decided that his focus should be on holding the shape, timing the ball and hitting it straight, nothing else. And dominate. I am confident that you will see a different Sanju in the coming season. He will dazzle in domestic, IPL as well as international.
“I guarantee he will be a much better cricketer. And just watch him be as he is. He has been so grounded, focussed and rooted now. And I wish and pray that he comes out and establishes himself in the Indian cricket for a long time. He's working so much on his fitness and he's getting stronger.”
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