Sanju Samson has asked India to not lose faith in their batting lineup as a group despite one evening’s failure in a chase of their own in the T20I series stage 2.
His words followed India’s 24-run loss to West Indies at Hyderabad, coming after a thumping 247-248 target had been set. The match drew level and added pressure to the match in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Samson had the best of health and fitness from Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan. The pair had a poor showing in the last game but the wicketkeeper-batter argued that they should not be evaluated on that one match, pointing to their form.
Abhishek had just scored 69 in his previous match and Kishan had been very productive this year. Samson said that consistency is key and that players who have been consistently good should be trusted by the team regardless of the outcome of a single session.
The remarks also show the equation between aggressiveness and reliability that India are looking to strike. Samson feels that a number that is around 250 requires a touch of the knife and not an ounce of caution. That was his philosophy, his own 56 from 23 balls was proof of that but he said the innings would have been better if India had won.
But the knock off the top order wasn’t the only reason why India was unable to hold on to the chase. The score dropped to 130/5 before Tilak Varma and Nitish Reddy joined the chase, but they finished their 70-run stand with a realistic chance of India challenging the target. Eventually, they managed to stand down and all the other wickets fell before they could get to the required wicket.
Samson saw the alliance as proof that younger players can rise to the challenge. It was an encouraging sign, he said, though it had no impact on the result.
He also gave West Indies captain Shai Hope credit for his measured approach, which has been a key aspect of the success of the visitors. Hope has yet to get into trouble with shot selection and has been able to score at a fast pace while not rushing around to take chances.
The performances of the West Indies have put India under a lot of pressure on the home turf and Samson acknowledged this when he looked forward to the last game. The Indian side has been keen on playing in Bengaluru where the series will be won or lost,” he said.
The task for the Indian team now is to create some more cohesive team from individual quality. Samson’s point is that the batting can be believed, but the decider will show them that it can pay off.
