India vs Sri Lanka: Sunil Gavaskar pinpoints one shortcoming in Sanju Samson's batting

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has pinpointed a major shortcoming in Sanju Samson's batting following the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Mumbai. Samson once again failed to perform with the bat as he was dismissed for just 5 in the match. 

Samson played a false shot on the third ball of the 7th over but the fielder failed to take a catch at deep mid-wicket. However, he was removed on the fifth ball of the same over while attempting to play a no-look shot off Dhananjaya de Silva's bowling.

Talking about Samson's batting technique, Gavaskar acknowledged that the Kerala-born cricketer is very talented but pointed out that his shot selection sometimes lets him down.

"And this time, it’s the leading edge going to short third man. He is such a fine player. Sanju Samson has so much talent but his shot selection sometimes lets him down. And this is one more occasion where it has disappointed," Gavaskar said on Star Sports. 

Gambhir wants Samson to capitalize on chances

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir also reiterated Gavaskar's remarks on Samson and said that the wicketkeeper-batsman needs to capitalize on the chances he has been getting. 

"We all talk about how much talent he has but he needs to capitalize on these chances," Gambhir said during a discussion on Star Sports. 

Samson has played a total of 11 ODIs and 17 T20I matches for India since his debut in 2015. Samson has been unable to replicate his domestic form in the international arena with only a couple of good performances here and there.

He has scored 330 runs in 50-over cricket at an average of 66.00 and has registered 301 runs in T20Is at an average of 20.06. Samson has two half-centuries in ODIs and one fifty in the shortest format for India. 

Recently, Samson got a chance to play in an ODI game against New Zealand, where he scored 36 runs for the side. Despite putting on a good performance with the bat, Samson was dropped from the subsequent matches against the Kiwis. The 28-year-old went back to play in the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 for Kerala and once again showcased some brilliant performances with the bat. 

Image: PTI