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Even Sanju Samson himself is probably less worried about his form than those eager to see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi make his international debut against England in the ongoing five-match T20I series.
Despite his breathtaking back-to-back knockout innings in the T20 World Cup and several outstanding performances for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, Samson continues to carry the tag of an inconsistent batter. He often gets off to fluent starts, making batting look effortless, only to throw his wicket away. There seems to be one missing piece in his game that has prevented him from becoming the consistently dominant batter many believe he can be.
As for Sooryavanshi, there is little reason to worry. It appears only a matter of time before he becomes India’s youngest-ever international cricketer, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record. Sachin made his international debut at 16 years and 205 days, while Sooryavanshi is expected to make his debut at just over 15 years of age if selected.
Interestingly, it was under Samson’s captaincy that Sooryavanshi made his IPL debut. If all goes according to plan, the two could soon find themselves opening the batting together for India.
But the larger question is: Is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s impending debut putting pressure on Sanju Samson? It shouldn’t.
Samson has the backing of the team management and was one of head coach Gautam Gambhir’s preferred choices to replace captain Suryakumar Yadav in India’s T20 setup. One lean patch shouldn’t suddenly alter that equation.
As for consistency, T20 cricket is perhaps the most unforgiving format. Even the best batters struggle to produce runs match after match because of the inherent risks involved. Once a batter commits to playing attacking cricket, dismissals are inevitable.
The IPL can often create a misleading perception. Batting-friendly pitches and familiar conditions make stroke-making look easier. But outside India, especially in challenging conditions, even in T20Is, batters have to graft, adapt and earn their runs. That is where true consistency is tested, not on flat surfaces where every shot flies to the boundary.
The manner in which Sanju Samson began his innings suggested he was prepared to play with unusual caution. He even seemed willing to adopt a KL Rahul-style approach in T20 cricket by negotiating a maiden over if that was what the situation demanded. Yet, despite the measured start, he fell in the very first over, edging an uppish drive straight to the fielder at point. Samson was left walking back to the pavilion after scoring just one run off seven deliveries.
There is no need to press the panic button, though. Four matches still remain in the series, and India can hardly afford to lose faith in one of the standout performers of their T20 World Cup triumph after a few failures. Great players have earned the right to bounce back, and Samson deserves that opportunity.
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