Former India batter Suresh Raina believes Samson’s form at the recently-concluded T20 World Cup and experience make him the perfect link between the top and middle order at Chennai Super Kings
India’s Sanju Samson during a nets session in Chennai recently. Pic/PTI
Former India batter Suresh Raina believes that Sanju Samson should bat at No. 3 for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, saying the position would provide balance to the team’s batting order.
Samson is coming to the IPL on the back of some great knocks in the recently-concluded ICC T20 World Cup, where the wicketkeeper-batter scored back-to-back half-centuries in the Super Eights match against West Indies, the semi-final vs England and the summit clash against New Zealand.
However, despite Samson’s great form as an opener, Raina suggested that CSK should open the innings with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ayush Mhatre, while placing Samson at No. 3 to anchor the batting unit and link the top order with the middle order.
Suresh Raina
“He was the captain of Rajasthan Royals for so many years. I think his role will be clear here. Will Sanju or Ruturaj open with Mhatre? Or will Mhatre play at No. 3? If Sanju plays at No. 3, it will be good, because then Dewald Brevis will come at No. 4,” Raina told Jio Hotstar.
Raina also backed Samson to take up wicketkeeping duties for CSK ahead of veteran skipper MS Dhoni. “But Sanju will be there as a ’keeper. We saw the atmosphere he created when he played in the World Cup. His role will be more important as a No. 3 batter. If you allow Ayush Mhatre and Ruturaj Gaikwad to bat at the top, the middle order looks more experienced and stronger,” he said.
“When Brevis comes in with Sanju, and then Shivam Dube after him, it becomes very important to have a player like Sanju there who brings a different level of experience,” Raina added.
Samson has been traded from the Rajasthan Royals to CSK in place of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. Samson has played 177 IPL matches and scored 4704 runs at an average of 30.95.
4704
No. of runs scored by Sanju Samson in 177 IPL games at a strike-rate of 139.05
3096
No. of runs scored by Sanju Samson at No. 3 in IPL, only behind Raina (4934 runs)
38.22
Sanju Samson’s average at No. 3 across 94 IPL innings
143.33
Sanju Samson’s strike-rate at No. 3 in the IPL
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