I Will be Disappointed if Sanju Samson Does Not Finish His Career All Guns Blazing: Ravi Shastri

Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri heaped praise on flamboyant wicketkeeper batter Sanju Samson but said he needs to realise his potential. Samson was touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket when he made his international debut in 2015 but he failed to make a mark at the big stage so far. He also didn’t get consistent opportunities in Indian colours which reflected in his performances.

“There is Sanju (Samson), who I believe is yet to realise his potential,” Shastri said.

Shastri talked highly of  Samson but said that he would be disappointed if the Rajasthan Royals captain failed to end his career on a high.

“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. 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.

Also Read | ‘No Accountability From Captain’: Sunil Gavaskar Criticises Selectors for Not Questioning Rohit Sharma After WTC Final

Shastri feels that Hardik Pandya should take over the captaincy charge of the ODI team after the 2023 World Cup. Shastri said that Rohit lead the Indian team in the 2023 ODI World Cup but after that, it would be right for the selectors to appoint Hardik as the next captain.

Shastri pointed out that Hardik’s body can not cope with Test cricket.

“Let’s be clear. His body (Hardik) cannot cope with Test cricket. After the World Cup, I feel he should take over captaincy in white-ball cricket. Rohit should lead India in the World Cup, no question there,” Shastri told The Week.

Hardik has already been leading India’s T20I team after the last year’s T20 World Cup as the selectors have decided to move ahead without senior stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.

The flamboyant all-rounder impressed many with his captaincy skills in the last two editions of IPL where he reached back-to-back finals and won the title on the first attempt in 2022.