'The guy scores in 1-2 matches and then fails' - Kapil Dev criticizes Sanju Samson's inconsistency

There was an uproar in the media when India’s T20I squad for the South Africa series didn’t involve Sanju Samson. The Rajasthan skipper, who had an excellent season for the franchise in IPL 2022, guiding them to their second-ever final in the competition’s history, failed to make a cut into the national team. Former Indian captain Kapil Dev has expressed his disappointment over the flamboyant batters’ inconsistency and sights it as the reason for his omission from the Indian team.

Samson scored 458 runs for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022, and he led them to the final of this year’s competition, only to be toppled by Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat Titans on the final night. Although the right-hander endured a prolific season with the bat, his inability to convert starts into big scores is a big headache for the team.

Kapil Dev, who led the Indian side to their first-ever World Cup glory in 1983, pinpointed the reason behind the youngster’s absence from the national squad. One of the most elegant batters among the current crop of Indian players, the wicketkeeper-batter often fails to get going for the national side. The Stylish right-hander has represented the men in blue in 13 T20Is but failed to leave an impression with just 174 runs without a single fifty to his name.

I am extremely upset with Sanju Samson: Kapil Dev

“All three can win the match for India on their own accord”, Kapil Dev said while comparing Karthik, Kishan, and Samson, while speaking to Uncut.

The ex-cricketer also revealed that Samson’s wicketkeeping abilities are at par with that of Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik, who are part of the current Indian team in the T20I series against South Africa.

“To be honest, if I have to pick a better wicketkeeper between the three (Karthik, Ishan, and Samson), I would say they’re almost at the same level. I can’t say there is much difference. But in terms of batting, each one is better than the other. On a given day, all three can win the match for India on their own accord,” the former Indian captain added.