'Always Been A Sword Over His Head': Ex-India Player Backs Sanju Samson Amidst Poor Form In T20I Series Against New Zealand

India hosted New Zealand for a five-match T20 series ahead of the World Cup, which was won by the Men in Blue 4-1 after impressive performances from Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav. While these stars impressed in the T20I series against New Zealand, opener Sanju Samson failed to make an impact.

Sanju Samson had an underwhelming series, with the player scoring 46 runs in five innings at an average of 9.20. In the fifth T20I against New Zealand, playing at his homeground in Thiruvananthapuram, fans had high expectations from Samson. However, the opening batsman got dismissed for just six runs after falling for a run-a-ball.

Following the conclusion, many have been claiming that Ishan Kishan should replace Sanju Samson in the top order after his blistering performance. Amid the claims, former India player Robin Uthappa came in support of Samon, sharing that the player is likely not out of form and compared his situation to Suryakumar Yadav's.

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Robin Uthappa On Sanju Samson's Dip In Performance

The former player believes Sanju Samson should be continued being given opportunities until Tilak Varma is fully fit. Uthappa also shared that, like Suryakumar Yadav, Samson too deserves time before the management decide to drop him.

Robin Uthappa shared, "Form will always be temporary, be it Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, or Rohit Sharma. When you are a cricketer of that calibre, I don’t think the form of Sanju Samson is an issue. Even Suryakumar Yadav wasn’t out of form. It’s just that he didn’t play in one position long enough. The kind of player Samson is, when he comes off in tandem with Abhishek Sharma, they look like a million bucks. That energy is insane."

He further added, "Yes, he has got the opportunities and not performed in them. But there has also always been a sword over his head that if he doesn’t perform, there is someone waiting for his spot. There has never been a time where he just goes and bats. When they’ve given him that chance to just go and bat and do your thing, he has done well."

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