I had written that the Indian management made the logical call by selecting Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma ahead of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Ireland. Vaibhav needed to earn his stripes, and it would have been unfair to drop either Samson or Abhishek after what they had done over the previous few months. While Abhishek has been India’s X-factor player at the top, Samson was one of the stars of the World Cup. At No. 3, Ishan Kishan has done enough to cement his place in the XI.
In fact, it was only fair that Samson started the England series as well. For someone who produced three successive outstanding innings in the World Cup, he deserved a fair run. Unfortunately for him, however, he has not looked at ease in challenging batting conditions. That naturally raises the question – should India turn to Sooryavanshi in Manchester?
It could be argued that Manchester will offer a much better batting surface. During the Women’s T20 World Cup, played there just a week earlier, the pitch was on the slower side with very little movement for the bowlers. With Manchester having experienced a heatwave last week, there is little reason to expect the conditions to change significantly. Should Samson be given one more opportunity, or is it time to hand Sooryavanshi his chance?
Whichever view you take, there is always the risk of being labelled as pushing an agenda. The reality, however, is that there are valid arguments on both sides.
You cannot simply move Samson down the order, because it makes little tactical sense and there is no obvious vacancy. Ishan has not done anything wrong and, while he has not produced a defining innings either, it would be harsh to reshuffle the entire batting order to accommodate someone else. If Samson is left out, it would also mean that Sooryavanshi should be given a proper run rather than judged after a game or two. That brings us back to the central question – should Samson be given one more match?
Every player, irrespective of age, deserves an extended run before a final judgement is made. That is the only fair way to decide whether it is time to move on. Sooryavanshi, despite his red-hot form in the IPL and in Sri Lanka, has had to wait because Abhishek and Samson earned their places at the top of the order. The management was fully justified in backing them in both Ireland and England.
However, if you look at Samson’s dismissals over the last three games, legitimate questions arise. Is he looking comfortable against the new ball when it is doing just enough? With Samson failing to make the most of his opportunities, and is this still India’s strongest XI going forward?
And, frankly, this has nothing to do with PR. Asking difficult but relevant questions is part of the job. We are neither members of Samson’s fan club nor Sooryavanshi’s. Samson’s three outstanding World Cup innings deserve to be recognised and celebrated. Equally, Vaibhav’s status as a generational talent waiting in the wings is beyond dispute.
That is what makes this selection call in Manchester so fascinating. As Clive Lloyd would say: “Guv, don’t think too much. Do what you think is best.”
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