Sanju Samson should play all T20Is, says Saba Karim

Former India cricketer Saba Karim has predicted that India’s T20I series against Zimbabwe will be important for Sanju Samson to cement his place in the side for the upcoming series. Karim also believes Samson has all the skills to play in all T20I games for India in the current setup, both as a batter and a wicketkeeper as well. Although Samson was named in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup-winning squad, he did not feature throughout the tournament.

Saba Karim said in an interaction for Sony Sports, “I reckon so. Because I feel in this series, if he’s available, he should get to play all five T20Is, and that also number three. Because that’s the kind of spot which he prefers and where he has done well. I think it will throw up multiple options for the selectors, going forward, and it will be good to see.

These are exciting times for Indian cricket, because now the transition will start from the Zimbabwe Series, and there are a number of newcomers who would want to cement their place in the side, even for the wicket keeper slot. So I know that they have, the selectors, tried out the number three.”

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“He has done well in patches” – Saba Karim

“He has done well in patches. He may get some more opportunities at that number. There is a strong possibility that they may want to bring him back down the order. So there are a number of options available, but I think yes, if Sanju Samson gets get to play five T0Is here, then at least going forward, if he does well, then he’ll get many more opportunities at that number, because he is rich in talent. He’s got loads of experience now. He led the RR side quite well last season in the IPL, so there are some great challenges ahead for Samson,” Karim added.

However, it is yet to be confirmed when Sanju Samson, along with Yashashvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube will be able to join the rest of the Indian team for the Zimbabwe series, after their return to the country from Barbados for the celebration of T20 World Cup victory.

And, the BCCI has announced three changes in the squad before the series with batter Sai Sudharsan, wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma and fast bowler Harshit Rana joining the team as their replacements.