Last Update on: August 23rd, 2022 at 03:07 pm
Mohammad Kaif believes Sanju Samson can compete for the No. 5 or No. 6 spot for Team India, as there are no open spots in the top four.
On Monday, August 22, Samson scored 15 runs off 13 deliveries, including two sixes, in the third ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare.
The Men in Blue set a difficult 290-run target for the hosts and went on to win by 13 runs.
Sanju Samson Is Doing A Very Good Job For Himself: Mohammad Kaif
Kaif was asked about Samson’s performance in the series and his Team India prospects during a discussion on Sony Sports. He responded:
“He looked good, he didn’t get to bat in the first match, but he has hit six sixes in the two innings he has played. There is no place at the top. You have KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli will come and Suryakumar Yadav is also there.”
He also reckoned that Samson’s big-hitting ability could earn him a spot as a game-changer down the order. The former Indian batter went on to explain: “Your future is bright if you have the six-hitting ability because there is a place at No. 5 or No. 6 where he can stake his claim. Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant play there. You can get a place there.
He is doing a very good job for himself. Sanju Samson will have to be praised. The ability he has a batter to hit straight sixes with a high backlift, amongst the new batters, very few players have that ability.
He comes in the middle overs and hits three or four sixes. If you have dismissed the top order, the fielding team thinks that they can grab the game there. There Sanju Samson knows how to hit good balls for sixes. He has the game-changing ability, which he showed in the West Indies. He is batting at a high strike rate, changing the momentum.”
Samson was the player of the match in the 2nd ODI.