DUBAI: Sanju Samson, being an apparent middle-order misfit, will certainly worry head coach Gautam Gambhir, and the Indian team management might be tempted to test Jitesh Sharma during their inconsequential final Super 4 encounter against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup here on Friday.
Following India's win against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, which had lost both its Super 4 encounters against Bangladesh and Pakistan, has been ousted from the competition and will take the field merely to complete formalities. The stage is now set for an India-Pakistan showdown in the final on Sunday.
Apart from Samson, who is not fitting into the puzzle that is the Indian batting order, the only other concern at the moment is the team’s fielding. India has missed ten catches so far in the tournament, including five against Bangladesh on their way to the final.
In high-stakes games, the margins are thin, and even mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who has suffered on account of dropped catches on multiple occasions, agreed that there is significant room for improvement in this aspect.
"As they say, you can't give excuses at this level. As a team, we have to definitely start catching all those because we have qualified for the finals and we should be taking all those catches," said Chakravarthy, who claimed a couple of wickets against Bangladesh but also saw a few chances go begging off his bowling.
He did, however, give the benefit of the doubt to the fielders, noting that the Dubai Stadium's floodlights are not high towers and resemble football stadium lights.
"But if you ask me, the 'ring of fire' (floodlight design) definitely is a little bit of disturbance as it comes in the eyesight sometimes. We have to get acclimatised to it," the mystery spinner said.
While fielding is one aspect that needs attention, there are also small chinks in the Indian armoury which have been overlooked due to the comfortable victories in all five games that Suryakumar Yadav's men have played so far.
Against Bangladesh, Samson was not even considered good enough to be in the top seven of the line-up, raising questions about his place in the team if he cannot bat ahead of Axar Patel. The promotion of Shivam Dube to No. 4 was understandable due to his match-up against wrist spinners, but it did not work in maintaining the left-right combination in the middle. Hardik Pandya was sent ahead of him, along with two left-handers in Tilak Varma and Axar Patel.
"Sanju is still figuring out how to bat at No. 5," fielding coach Ryan ten Doeschate had said before the Bangladesh game.
There is a chance that Samson might again be promoted to No. 3 in the inconsequential game against Sri Lanka and not sent in that position on Sunday when India play the final. But that is easier said than done, as Samson does not have the game to be a floater who can attack the bowling in the back ten overs when the ball softens and the pitch slows. His fifty against Oman was, at best, scratchy.
It is understood that Samson's past record at the top is preventing the team from dropping him. However, in a format where roles need to be clearly assigned, Jitesh Sharma fits the character of a middle-order slogger who can finish games.
A look at his batting record at various positions in the IPL over the past few seasons gives a clearer picture. Jitesh, at No. 5, has played 18 innings, scoring 374 runs off 253 balls at a strike rate of 147.8. At No. 6, he has performed even better, scoring 384 runs off 230 balls in 15 innings at a strike rate of 167. At No. 7, he has played 76 balls and scored 136 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 178.
These numbers show that Samson is being forced to adopt a role that is out of his character, while the team management has a ready-made option in Jitesh Sharma. However, as of now, the 'director'—Gambhir in this case—is not flexible when it comes to changing players' roles. Hence, Jitesh might have to wait a bit longer, but India would not want to pay a price for that.
The Sri Lanka match also gives India a chance to rest Jasprit Bumrah, if he desires, ahead of the grand finale.
Squads:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Arshdeep Singh.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (WK), Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka (C), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Nuwanidu Fernando, Binura Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Janith Liyanage, Matheesha Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana.
Match starts: 8 pm IST.