There continues to be confusion over whether Sanju Samson or Vaibhav Suryavanshi should be played as the opener in the Indian T20 team.
The West Indies team, which has come to India for a tour, is playing a series consisting of three ODIs and five T20 matches. While the Indian team won the ODI series, it also won the first T20 match. In this situation, the second ODI between India and the West Indies will be held on Friday (Oct. 10) in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
India, led by Shreyas, who won the first match with the same momentum that brought them gold at the Asian Games, is eager to win the second match as well and take the lead in the series.
However, a major dilemma continues over whom to send out as opener for the Indian team: experienced Sanju Samson or young explosive batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
Sanju Samson has played the last 4 matches and scored only 29 runs in total, with scores of 9, 7, 2, and 11. Meanwhile, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who has played just 6 international T20 matches, has amassed 193 runs.
Although Sanju Samson has continued to struggle, with the cooperation of the Indian team management, Suryaavanshi was given the opening slot at the Asian Games held in Japan, while Samson was assigned the No. 3 position. Even so, the Indian team continues to place importance on the Abhishek Sharma-Sanju Samson pair.
In the T20 series against England, which India lost 0-3, Suryaavanshi scored 14, 13, and 15 runs. At the Asian Games, he scored 18 and 35 runs.
If Sanju Samson continues to struggle, the chances of him being dropped from the team appear to be high. Since Sanju Samson is serving as the wicketkeeper, he has been given repeated opportunities. If he falters again, it is expected that Ishan Kishan will take over wicketkeeping duties and Sooryavanshi will get a place.
Sanju Samson's lean run is the lone sore point in an otherwise firing batting line-up and it will prompt the team management to ponder over pairing teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with opener Abhishek Sharma in the second T20I against the West Indies.
