India’s opening combination has become a talking point after Sanju Samson returned to the T20I side ahead of in-form youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the first T20I against Afghanistan. Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has questioned the decision, pointing out that Sanju Samson had not played any cricket after being dropped from India’s T20I team.
Sanju Samson did not make the most of his opportunity, scoring only 10 runs from eight balls as India comfortably defeated Afghanistan by seven wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Mohammad Kaif believes Sanju Samson’s selection raises questions because he had not played competitive cricket in between his exclusion and return to the India XI. He pointed out that a player who is dropped normally gets opportunities elsewhere to regain form and rhythm. According to Kaif, that did not happen with Sanju Samson, yet he was still picked for the opening T20I.
The former cricketer also questioned why India did not retain the combination after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s impressive performances in Zimbabwe. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had been in excellent form on India’s recent Zimbabwe tour but his absence against Afghanistan has created uncertainty around India’s preferred opening pair.
Mohammad Kaif believes the Indian team management is still unsure about its best combination at the top of the order. He suggested that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could understandably be wondering what he had done wrong after performing well in Zimbabwe.
Sanju Samson had already missed India’s Zimbabwe tour and was also dropped from the playing XI midway through the T20I series against England. His return against Afghanistan has therefore created a major selection dilemma, particularly with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also competing for an opening spot.
While the selection debate continued, India produced a dominant performance on the field.
Arshdeep Singh troubled Afghanistan with accurate bowling and a variety of deliveries. He finished with excellent figures of 3/19, including 16 dot balls from his 24 deliveries. His spell helped India restrict Afghanistan to 156/8.
The chase was then made easy by Abhishek Sharma, who smashed a brutal 82 runs from 32 balls. His innings included seven sixes. India reached the target in less than 14 overs, winning by seven wickets and taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
With the second T20I scheduled for September 15 in Delhi, the big question now is whether India will continue with Sanju Samson or give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi another opportunity.
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