Sanju Samson and His Unenviable Situation

Looks like Samson too will have to wait till Karthik is out of the equation, and even then, there is no guarantee that he’ll be in the first XI.

New Delhi: Of all the Indian cricketers in public focus in nowadays, Sanju Samson probably finds himself in the most unenviable position. To be a hard-hitting wicketkeeper in current times, and not being among the top two favourites, is the worst place to be. This is not a situation that Samson alone faces, but he is surely one of the best bets in the sport not to be a regular in the first XI, simply because there are others who have been preferred.

This is something the Kerala batter reminds everyone of, every time he bats for the Indian contingent. Only problem is, that the contingent in question is almost India B.

With Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik well and truly entrenched in the ‘main’ team, Samson and also Ishan Kishan have been left to feel and find their way around the One-Day International side, which is now distinctly looking like the lot who can’t be accommodated in the big side in Australia.

The irony is quite stark. Here we have a country that is producing cricketers of quality like an assembly line, thanks to the Indian Premier League and assorted domestic tournaments. But, at the same time, only 15 or so can be selected in the teams like that for the ICC T20 World Cup.

The sum total is that India has often fielded two, and at times even three, teams. Invariably, Samson is in the second team.

The circumstances are such. Here was a time when Karthik was side-lined, with MS Dhoni and then Wriddhiman Saha making the grade. While there is no debate that Karthik isn’t as smooth with the keeping gloves as Dhoni, or even Saha, he however has survived through sheer will and fitness, and now has a key role in the Indian World Cup squad, his “dream come true”.

Looks like Samson too will have to wait till Karthik is out of the equation, and even then, there is no guarantee that he’ll be in the first XI.

So, under the circumstances, one can understand the hard-hitting batter being a little cynical. While he is being castigated for planning the end of the first ODI against South Africa badly, leaving Avesh Khan to face some crucial deliveries, India wouldn’t even have been close had Samson left early.

It can’t be easy being in his position. He surely is good enough for the big league, but there simply is no space for him to be included, not right now anyway.

At least he still gets to wear the India colours, a far cry from earlier days when one specialist used to be in the Indian team and many, some of them better players, used to spend their entire careers on the distant and obscure fields of domestic cricket.

That can both be a source of some satisfaction and extreme frustration. Depends on how Sanju Samson looks at it.