The five-match series against the West Indies ended in a 2-2 draw, and the Indian team will soon be back in action, touring New Zealand for a multi-format series for the first time in six years, starting with the T20Is. Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Out or Not Out’, Cheteshwar Pujara and Abhishek Nayar analysed the chances of Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi playing together in New Zealand, Samson’s inconsistency, and what makes Finn Allen a dangerous prospect.
Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Out or Not Out’, Cheteshwar Pujara opened up about Sanju Samson’s inconsistency in T20Is. “He is never out of form. The kind of player Sanju Samson has been in the T20 format; his form fluctuates. But it is always a matter of one innings. He plays one good innings, and he is back in form. So, you cannot say that this player is not in form. In the T20 format, you are bound to have failures. Who doesn’t get out in T20s? Consistency should be there, but for the top order, I think consistency is overrated in T20s.”
On the possibility of both Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi playing together in the playing XI, he said, “Vaibhav playing every game seems a bit difficult in New Zealand because there you need more all-rounders, either a spin all-rounder or a seaming all-rounder. So, there you don’t need a lot of batters, especially in the top order. Either Sanju Samson can open or Vaibhav. I don’t think both can be part of the playing XI in New Zealand conditions. So, Vaibhav will have to wait, but he will get opportunities. It’s not that he won’t play even one match in the entire series. I am not saying that. If the spot opens up for him based on conditions or players’ fitness, that’s fine. But, both Sanju and Vaibhav cannot be in the playing XI in New Zealand.”
Abhishek Nayar shared his thoughts on Sanju Samson’s recent run of form in T20Is, and said, “Sanju plays with everyone’s emotions because he won’t score runs for two matches, and everyone starts raising questions, ‘Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should play, Sanju Samson isn’t capitalising on his chances, how long will we wait?’ And at that very moment, he will score an 80 in no time.” He said, “Sanju is that kind of player who will repeatedly give you opportunities to raise questions about him and then will play a big knock, making the most of his chances. So, there will be moments when there will be talks about his place, but Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have to wait.”
On Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s chance of playing in the New Zealand series. “Often, for a team’s culture, if you are a coach or a captain, it is crucial to make the right decisions. If you make haphazard decisions, the impact on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s career is one thing, but the impact on team culture will be far greater. So, according to me, the decision will be, ‘Vaibhav, wait for your time, you will also get opportunities.’ Maybe in a series where Sanju isn’t there or is rested, he will play. But as long as there is a left-hander at number three and at the top, you will always think that a right-hander in between is necessary. So, it’s not so much about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson; it’s about having that left-right combination so that a bowler like Bracewell doesn’t come and bowl out his overs in the powerplay.”
On Finn Allen possibly matching Abhishek Sharma’s 30-ball century record in the series:
“In their conditions, Finn Allen is a very lethal and dangerous player because the boundaries are small. The ground dimensions, pitches and bounce in New Zealand suit his game. He is the kind of player who, if he gets going, makes it very difficult for the opposition to stop the runs because he hits sixes, not boundaries. And when the ground dimensions are small, that kind of player can often score those quick hundreds, which he has done in the past. So, I have a feeling that it is possible. I’m not saying it will happen, but it is possible.”
