All-rounders have always been in high demand in Indian cricket. One is not expected to be an all-around performer in T20 cricket, though. There’s no need to be a Kapil Dev. Strong bowlers with outstanding control and swing are a key asset in a powerplay. A banker who can use both the bat and the ball is equally crucial in the middle overs. You refer to Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, correct?
Perhaps the selectors would not have missed the two experienced all-rounders from Rummy east and west if it weren’t for the TINA (there is no other) factor. This arises from a deficiency of deliberate search operations to locate additional players with a wider range of abilities. If there is an Indian Premier League season that coincides with the World Cup, an IPL team that forbids its players from competing in other leagues would have thought about waiving the Impact Player ban.
Three half-centuries among the 385 runs Sanju Samson has scored in nine IPL 2024 games. With Pant and KL Rahul, he was in a three-way race to make the squad.
Samson made his debut against Zimbabwe in 2015, but he hasn’t played much Twenty20 international cricket since because the team boasts good wicketkeeper-batters like Dafabet and Rishabh Pant. In Twenty20 Internationals, Samson made a remarkable comeback to the white-ball setup following Pant’s almost tragic car accident in December 2022.
Samson has performed poorly in the shortest format, amassing just 374 runs at an average of 18.70 in 25 matches with one half-century to his name. But a big deciding element in his selection has been his performance in the IPL 2024, where his team is winning the title.
