Sanju Samson to be India's new finisher? Star batter hints at new role from Indian team management
Can Sanju Samson don the finisher's role for India in ODIs?
India wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson has said he has been asked by the Indian team management to take up the finisher's role in white-ball cricket going forward. Samson, who has mostly batted up the order in his career so far, is ready to bat lower down the order and finish games for India when required.
While Dinesh Karthik has been India's designated finisher in T20Is, the Men in Blue have looked up to the likes of Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja to don the role in ODIs ever since the departure of the legendary MS Dhoni. Samson has been batting at no.5 for India in their ongoing ODI series against South Africa at home and has looked in good touch.
He slammed a brilliant knock of 86 runs in the first ODI against the Proteas and followed it up with a gritty 30 in the second ODI. Samson said he has been training to bat in several different positions and the message from the dressing room has been that he should be ready to finish games for India.
"Absolutely, I have been practicing different kind of roles and I think last couple of years, I have put in time to understand different types of roles that I need to play in different teams. So, I am enjoying it," Samson told Star Sports ahead of the third and final ODI against South Africa on Tuesday.
"I have been given instructions to be ready to do this finishing role from last one year. Physically, I have been doing top-order batting but mentally I have been understanding the game better on how to react to situations better and how people have done it beautifully in the past. Learning from the history, so yes lot of learning has gone into this," he added.
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With India's T20 World Cup squad already in Australia to prepare for the showpiece event that gets underway later this month, India have fielded a second-string side for the ODI series against South Africa under Shikhar Dhawan's captaincy.
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Samson has kept the wickets throughout the series and has also been a regular in the middle order. He will be hoping to continue his fine form and look to make the most of opportunities coming his way in order to cement his spot in the Indian team.