Sunil Gavaskar expressing disappointment pointed out that Sanju Samsons lack of consistency in his India career can be attributed to his poor shot choices. Abhishek Sharma dismissed the Rajasthan Royals skipper who scored a mere 10 runs off 11 deliveries during the IPL 2024 Qualifier 2 loss to SunRisers Hyderabad.
SRH set RR a target of 176 runs after their turn to bat first in Chennai on Friday May 24. Following that Pat Cummins and the team restricted the inaugural IPL champions to 139/7 resulting in a 36run victory and solidifying their place in the final against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the same venue on Sunday May 26.
Reviewing the match on Star Sports the discussion veered towards sharing thoughts on Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag’s dismissals.
“What’s the use of scoring 500 runs if you can’t win your team the match or title? Everyone got out while playing glamorous shots. Why has Samson not had a steady India career? It’s because his shot selection has let him down.”
Sunil Gavaskar
The former India captain expressed optimism that Sanju Samson will take advantage of his opportunity in the T20 World Cup next month.
“If his shot selection had been good, his India career too would have been long. I hope that the opportunity he has got in the T20 World Cup, he grabs it with both hands and cements his place.”
Sunil Gavaskar
Parag (6 off 10) was also caught in the deep by Shahbaz Ahmed’s delivery. The duo’s dismissals reduced RR to 79/4 after 11.1 overs, from which they were unable to recover.
“Was he tired?” – Sunil Gavaskar on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal
Sunil Gavaskar was also questioned for his thoughts on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s expulsion.
Jaiswal gripped his hamstring after reverse-sweeping Shahbaz Ahmed for six. Three deliveries later, he was removed after smashing the left-arm spinner directly down the neck of the long-off fielder.
“There are no questions about his temperament because he has shown in Test matches that he has the temperament and mentality. However, probably the shot selection. Was he tired? It seemed in the last match two days ago as well that he was cramping.”
Sunil Gavaskar
The cricketer-turned-commentator described the RR opener’s dismissal as a game-changing event.
“I agree that it is extremely hot. However, we saw there was a slight wind blowing today, and the strategic time-out had just happened where you got the chance to take refreshments and drinks. To play such a shot after that, I feel the situation the Royals ended up in was because of that. If he had stayed for another two-three overs, there wouldn’t have been any problem.”
Sunil Gavaskar