"Play Rinku Singh Instead...": India Star On Sanju Samson And Why Middle-order Is "Not The Right Place" For Him

Sanju Samson failed to impress in the T20I series against West Indies. The batter returned scores of 12, 7, and 13 against the Caribbean side. In two matches, he batted at the number 5 position while in one game he came in at number 6 spot. Star Indian player Abhishek Nayar believes that the team mismanaged the wicketkeeper-batter by sending him in the lower-middle order. It is worth noting that Samson usually bats at number 3 or 4 position in Indian Premier League and domestic cricket.

"I believe if you want to utilize Sanju Samson more, bat him at No. 3 because that is his number. He is used to that and he is successful there, or else don't play him," said Nayar on JioCinema.

Nayar added that if India have to send Samson at the lower middle-order, they can play Rinku Singh instead.

"If you are going to play him at No. 5 or No. 6, play Rinku Singh instead. If you play Samson in the top three, you will get more out of him because he plays shots in the powerplay and then plays the spinners. So I believe not the right place but he will get opportunities," said the former India batter.

India on Sunday lost the fifth and deciding T20I against West Indies by 8 wickets in Lauderhill, Florida. Coming into the game, the momentum was with the Hardik Pandya-led as they had won the third and fourth T20I to make a comeback in the series after trailing 0-2.

The final game, however, was dominated by Windies as they barely gave India any chance. The series defeat was a shock for the young Indian side as they were strong favourites at the start.