Aakash Chopra Criticises Samson And Sharma: Former Indian batter turned commentator Aakash Chopra has come out to criticise Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, India’s two openers in the ongoing T20I series against Bangladesh, for not scoring big runs. He believes that the two might regret the wasted opportunities in the future.
The Indian Cricket Team is currently hosting Bangladesh for a three-match T20I series. After winning the first game in convincing fashion, the two teams played the second match on October 9th in Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.
The Bangla Tigers won the toss and chose to bowl first, prompting Samson and Sharma to come and open the Indian inning. Despite showing his sheer class with two magnificent boundaries in the first over, Sanju unceremoniously handed a catch to the fielder at cover in the second over, getting out for 10 runs.
Abhishek, not far behind, lost his wicket in the third over after scoring two consecutive boundaries as he was bowled by Tanzim Hasan Sakib for 15 runs. The two openers had returned to the pavilion before the third overended. And while India ended up getting to a massive total of 221 and winning the game by 86 runs, the two openers had a disappointing showing in this game.
Something similar happened in the first T20I. While chasing a small target of 128, Abhishek was run out in the second over for 16 runs. Sanju Samson looked good in his 29-run inning but failed to convert the good start into big runs.
Aakash Chopra Criticises Samson And Sharma
Reviewing the match on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted how the two openers have had a disappointing series so far despite showing promise in their limited time on the field. He said how the two have had a license to play big innings in the India vs Bangladesh series but have failed to do so.
“My last topic is actually the openers. Abhishek Sharma is one, and Sanju Samson is also there along with him. It is a crude reminder that two knocks have passed and you haven’t contributed significantly. You have the license to play long knocks,” he said.
Chopra then looked forward to the upcoming South Africa series and questioned whether Sanju or Abhishek would get a chance in that series if they continued to fail here, or if the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill would get the chance. He said,
“When the South Africa tour comes, who knows Yashasvi, Shubman, and Ruturaj might be available, and Sanju and Abhishek are opening. Suddenly you have five openers, and five won’t play. Ishan Kishan might also start knocking on the door after some time. When you find yourself in that situation, you might regret that you wasted your chances.”
After winning two matches in dominant fashion, the Indian Cricket team will look to whitewash the series when they face Bangladesh in the third and final T20I in Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday, October 12.
As for the South Africa series, India will travel to South Africa for a four-T20I series before heading to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
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