IND vs SL: Sanju Samson leaves Sunil Gavaskar disappointed with poor shot selection in 1st T20I

Indian cricket great-turned-commentator Sunil Gavaskar was disappointed with premier India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson's poor show in the first T20I against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Samson, who has been looked at as a part of India's reboot program for the 2024 World Cup, departed for five runs off six deliveries. The Kerala stalwart was dismissed in the seventh over after his bat caught the leading edge off a delivery by Sri Lanka off-spinner Dhananjaya de Silva. Incidentally, the dismissal came after Samson got a lucky escape in the very over at deep mid-wicket. 

“And this time, it’s the leading edge going to short third man. He is such a fine player. Sanju Samson has so much of talent but his shot selection sometimes lets him down. And this is one more occasion where it has disappointed,” Sunil Gavaskar said while commentating for the host broadcaster.

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir, meanwhile, wants Samson to capitalise on his opportunities. “We all talk about how much talent he has but he needs to capitalize on these chances,” Gambhir said during the broadcaster's live show after the match.

India registered narrow win over Sri Lanka in 1st T20I

In their first assignment of 2023, the Indian team recorded a narrow two-run win in the first T20I against Sri Lanka on Tuesday (January 3). The Hardik Pandya-led team registered a respectable total of 162/5 with Deepak Hooda smashing 41* off 23 balls. But the situation could have been worse for Team India if Hooda didn't come up to their rescue. 

Indian bowlers managed to defend the total with debutant Shivam Mavi taking four wickets while his compatriots Umran Malik and Harshal Patel picking two each. But it was not a convincing win for the Men in Blue as they had to wait till the last ball as Indian spinners struggled for the wickets.  

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