IPL 2020: Sanjay Manjrekar rates Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal higher than Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson started the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a couple of resounding knocks, playing for the Rajasthan Royals (RR). However, ever since Steve Smith and Co started playing outside Sharjah, Samson has strained. In fact, in his last three games in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Samson failed to even cross the double-digit mark.

In the last match against the Mumbai Indians (MI), Samson couldn’t even open his account. Trent Boult bowled a short delivery and cramped the batsman for room. All Samson could do was lob the ball to MI skipper Rohit Sharma who was standing at mid-on. He also became the third wicket to fall at the score of 12 when the Royals were chasing the mammoth 194.

Manjrekar concerned for Sanju Samson

In the meantime, Sanjay Manjrekar, the former Indian cricketer, reckons that Samson hasn’t quite done justice to his talent. The veteran feels that Sanju’s first-class average isn’t as good as it should be. At the first-class level, the right-hander has 3,162 runs at an average of 37.64.

He has 10 centuries and 12 fifties to show for his efforts. Manjrekar feels that Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal, who both have impressive records in red-ball cricket, have better numbers than Samson.

He took to Twitter and wrote, “No matter what the format, I make it a point to look at a player’s FC record to get a general idea about the player. Something about Samson that’s always bothered me..his FC average is 37. In comparison, Mayank is 57 & Gill in his 21 matches a staggering 73.”

Here’s Manjrekar’s tweet: 

No matter what the format, I make it a point to look at a player's FC record to get a general idea about the player. Something about Samson that's always bothered me..his FC average is 37. In comparison, Mayank is 57 & Gill in his 21 matches a staggering 73.

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) October 6, 2020

As far as Gill and Agarwal are concerned, both are playing in the IPL. Even as Mayank is weaving magic for the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), who are placed at the bottom of the points table, Gill is busy plying his trade for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), led by Dinesh Karthik.

Among the three, Mayank has been the most established in India’s limited-overs team, having played quite a few Tests since his debut in December 2018 against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Gill and Samson have played two ODIs and four T20Is respectively.