IND v ZIM 2022: 3 reasons why Sanju Samson must adapt as the finisher

Sanju Samson’s case is one of the most peculiar ones in Indian cricket. The wicketkeeper-batter has been in and out of the Men in Blue’s white-ball squads and has never been given a sustained run in the team.

Samson has shown that he is capable of batting in the top or middle order in a T20 setup in the Indian Premier League. But given the plethora of options that India have, he rarely gets the opportunity to prove himself in the long run.

As a result, he has been in and out of the side. But the Zimbabwe ODI series brings with it the opportunity for the Rajasthan Royals skipper to prove his worth.

However, it could be in the finisher’s spot that the 27-year-old will flourish the most while improving his chances of cementing a spot in the Indian white-ball set-up.

Here are three reasons why Sanju Samson must adapt as the finisher.

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#1 Top order seems to be packed

The Indian top order is filled to the brim and the team management has a plethora of options to choose from.

The likes of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant are shoo-ins for a spot in the upcoming T20 World Cup. This leaves Sanju Samson with no option but to master the finisher's role and carve out a spot for himself in the side.

India currently have Dinesh Karthik as their designated finisher, but if Samson does adapt, India will have another world-class option for the role.

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#2 ODI finishing performance could aid his selection for 50-over World Cup

New Zealand v India - T20: Game 4

If Sanju Samson is used as a finisher in the upcoming Zimbabwe ODI series, he could also make a case for his inclusion in future ODI sides. This could in turn help him in the lead-up to the 50-over ICC World Cup next year.

Now it depends on whether the swashbuckling batter excels in the role or fails to adapt to it. But India will definitely benefit from having him in the team.

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#3 India need a player like Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson has mainly been used as an accelerator in the middle of the innings, which has resulted in him losing his wicket cheaply on multiple occasions. However, should he decide to don the finisher’s hat, India will have a great asset at hand.

With a T20I strike-rate of 135.15, the wicketkeeper-batter is too good a player to miss out on India’s team for the shortest format. A solid outing in the upcoming ODIs against Zimbabwe will do him a world of good.

He has also stated in the past that he is ready to play whatever role the management offers him, without caring about personal records. This attitude will surely aid Team India’s recent slam-bang approach.

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Here’s India’s squad for the upcoming three-ODI series against Zimbabwe:

KL Rahul (c), Shikhar Dhawan (vc), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, Deepak Chahar.