The 28-year-old Samson has acquired one other important alternative as he was lately chosen for the three-match ODI sequence in opposition to West Indies scheduled for the upcoming tour.
Samson’s inclusion within the squad as a wicketkeeping choice additionally signifies that he’s being thought of for the ODI World Cup, which is scheduled to happen in India between October and November 2023.
“There is Sanju (Samson), who I believe is yet to realise his potential. He is a match-winner. There is something that is missing. I will be disappointed if he does not finish his career all guns blazing,” Shastri advised The Week.
“It is like when I was the coach, I would have been disappointed if Rohit Sharma had not played in my side as a regular Test player. Hence, his opening the batting. I feel similar with Sanju,” he added.
Shastri additionally felt that the aspect may strike the fitting stability by going with a left-right mixture. He wished to see as many as two left-handers of their prime six.
“You need to strike the right balance. Do you think a left-hander will make a difference at the top? It does not have to be opening, but in the top three or four. You have to weigh all those options. Ideally, in the top six, I would like to see two left-handers,” he mentioned.
The 61-year previous Shastri added that there was critical left-handed expertise within the nation, prepared to exchange any senior participant within the aspect.
“You have Ishan Kishan. In the wicketkeeping department, you have Sanju. But the left-handers, you have (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, Tilak Varma. There is enough left-handed talent that can replace any senior player at the moment,” the previous India coach mentioned.
The former all-rounder additionally wished India’s ODI aspect to kind a pool of 15-20 younger gamers and hold them concerned with the senior aspect. He opined that there have been quite a lot of accidents within the worldwide setup and it was greatest if India had backup methods.
“There are so many youngsters. There is Jaiswal and, I might miss out a few here, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera. There is (Sai) Sudharsan, who played so well in the (Indian Premier League 2023) final. There is Jitesh Sharma,” mentioned Shastri.
“Among the bowlers, there is a crop of young fast bowlers. Quite a few, there is Mukesh [Kumar], names do not come to my mind now. But, there are at least four or five who can be groomed around that 135kmph-140kmph mark. So I am not worried about the talent in white-ball.
You have a lot of injuries these days. I always like a pool of 15-20. You should always be prepared, you should have a plan B, plan C,” he concluded.
(With IANS Inputs)
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com