Sanju Samson hasn’t done justice to the amount of talent he has got – Mohammad Kaif

Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif reckons Sanju Samson hasn’t done justice to the amount of talent he has got. Samson has been a bit inconsistent throughout his career and thus he isn’t a regular part of the Indian team in the white-ball formats.

However, there is no denying the fact that Samson is a treat to the eyes when he gets going and he has all the shots in his repertoire. Samson was in fine form while leading Rajasthan Royals in the recently concluded Tata IPL 2022 as he scored 458 runs in 17 matches at an average of 28.63 and an impressive strike rate of 146.79. Thus, he played an instrumental role in taking his team to the final of the tournament.

But despite his decent performance in the IPL, Samson was not picked for the five-match T20I series against South Africa. Kerala batter was finally picked for the two-match T20I series against Ireland and he will look to grab his opportunity if he gets his chance in the playing XI.

“Samson has not done justice to the amount of talent he has got. He plays well in the IPL and gets good starts. But he is not consistent despite having that X-factor. He can win the game for India on his day. But I feel Samson can bat a bit lower. My suggestion to Samson would be that he should start finishing the games. I remember his one innings against Delhi Capitals where (Jos) Buttler got a century. Samson got four-five overs and got quick-fire 46,” Kaif said in a virtual interaction hosted by Sony Sports.

Meanwhile, Samson has mostly played in the middle order for India as well as Rajasthan Royals. However, Kaif believes Samson should play the finisher role for the Indian team as well as his franchise.

“Samson should come down the order and finish the game for India and Rajasthan in the future. He has got the talent and skill but hasn’t done justice. He has got the opportunity to play for India but has not grabbed it with both hands. Maybe now he will look to do that if he gets a chance.”

On the other hand, Mohammad Kaif, who led India to a thrilling win in the Natwest final against England, backed underfire Rishabh Pant to come good in the upcoming tour of England. Pant could only manage 58 runs in five matches against the Proteas and thus failed to deliver while leading the team.

“He will be in the squad. But the England tour will be crucial as an individual, you want to come back into form sooner rather than later because very crucial months are coming up, like the World Cup in October and you want to see Pant firing and playing at his best,” said Kaif.

“Pant has been doing a great job for India. At present, his form is probably not the greatest. He’s got the X-factor, and the skill to do well for India. He’s already done that in his small India career.

India will next take on Ireland in two T20Is.