Sanju Samson has been a well-known name in the past decade and has been in and out of the Indian team throughout. He hasn’t fixed his place in any of the formats despite making his international debut in 2015. S Sreesanth, a member of the victorious 2011 Indian World Cup team, slammed the batter and demanded a change in "attitude" while he issued a warning about the intensifying fight for a berth on the Indian team.
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Recently, the keeper was named in the Asia Cup squad as a travelling reserve, but he was asked to return to India during the Super Four stages. In the ongoing Australia series, he was again ignored by the selectors, despite giving rest to several big names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Hardik Pandya.
“I think it’s the right decision because it’s very important for a player to understand himself,” Sreesanth said in an interaction with Sportskeeda. Sreesanth advised Samson to read the wicket carefully before batting and said, “He doesn’t listen when someone asks him to play according to the pitch."
"His attitude and approach needs to change. When the legends of the game are telling you to read the wicket, take your time. That is why I keep telling him the same thing, even now when I meet him. “Read the wicket first and bat accordingly," he added.
The controversial bowler also advised Samson by saying, “It is very easy to get sympathy from people, but what you need is appreciation, which will come with a consistent show for India. It is just a matter of time.”
The two-time World Cup champion went on to elaborate on his statement by claiming that Rishabh Pant, who has been consistent throughout his career, has done so from the beginning of his domestic career, whereas Samson has not, despite leading the state squad.
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Samson made his ODI debut in 2021 and has since played in 13 games for India, scoring 390 runs at an average of 55.71 with three fifty-plus scores. He made just two appearances this year, hitting 51 runs against the West Indies in August, compared to 10 matches in 2022, when he scored 284 runs with a best knock of an unbeaten 86 against South Africa in Lucknow.