Former Indian middle-order batter Ajinkya Rahane has heaped praise on the Indian opening batter Sanju Samson after the Indian team’s 3-0 T20I series win over Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
While Samson could score only 10 runs in the first T20I, he smacked 57 and 50 in the next two contests to end the three-game series on a promising note. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rahane had to play a supportive role for the aggressor Abhishek Sharma.
“I am happy for Sanju Samson that he scored runs with consistency. He batted really well and played as per his role. Abhishek Sharma batted differently, and Sanju Samson had to play a supportive role. I think a senior player has this understanding,” Rahane said on his YouTube channel.
“Sanju deserved to play because he has been performing for many years. His batting position kept on changing. Sometimes he batted at five or six; when the team needed him at four, he batted there. He has batted from one to seven,” he added.
Further, Rahane suggested that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will have to be patient to get his chances in the playing XI, adding that being part of the Indian dressing room will help the batting sensation improve his game.
“He is talented and has the skill, but I think he will have to wait. We form opinions very quickly. If a player is doing well, people form that opinion of him. There is nothing wrong with that, but you have to see that it doesn’t affect the mindset of the player. It’s about grooming the players,” he noted.
“If he doesn’t perform well, people will be quick to form an opinion that he got an opportunity but didn’t do anything. The more time he spends with the Indian team and the experienced players, the more his game will develop. No doubt, we have seen the kind of talent he has in the IPL, and he has had limited opportunities. But yes, we will have to groom him and give him some time. The challenge for team management is to decide when to give Vaibhav Suryavanshi a chance, and when he gets the chance, not to judge him quickly,” he concluded.
