NEW DELHI: The lack of form of Sanju Samson has alarmed former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who claims that if he does not find a way out of his current rut, his mind may begin “playing tricks” with him.
Samson, 30, had a miserable series against England’s quick pace and short balls and will be sidelined for a month owing to a fracture in his right index finger.
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Only 51 runs were scored by him in the five-match match, which India won 4-1.
“…if Sanju keeps getting dismissed like this, as a batter, the mind will be playing tricks,” Ashwin said.
“(It will force you to think) the bowler is bowling a certain way and I am getting dismissed like this, is the bowler bowling well or do I have a shortcoming? Will I be able to adapt? Once so many questions arises, then it becomes difficult,” he explained.
Ashwin also suggested that out-of-form captain Suryakumar Yadav alter his strategy in order to break out of the current rut in form that he is experiencing. Suryakumar’s run total in the recently finished series against England was barely 28.
“I can understand it happening in one or two games, but it is quite surprising,” Ashwin said on his Hindi YouTube channel.
“…when you know you are being attacked in a certain way, there should be a different approach to that ball or just avoid it and force the bowler to bowl at your strengths.”
“Suryakumar Yadav is a very experienced guy. He has a lot of ability. One can say he brought about a change of guard in Indian batting, showing the way. But the time has come for him to take some time out and change his approach,” he added.
Samson, who has fluctuated in his performance during his career in international cricket, should respond appropriately, according to Ashwin, to prevent doubts from infiltrating his subconscious mind.
But Ashwin cited legendary Sachin Tendulkar‘s advice during last week’s BCCI Naman Awards that players should use their subconscious mind too.
“Sachin Tendulkar also said during the (BCCI) awards function that (you must) do so many repetitions that you allow the subconscious mind to take over,” he said.
“But if so much confusion comes over on the subconscious mind, then batting becomes a different ball game altogether.”
Failure in T20 cricket, according to Ashwin, is not the issue; rather, the way dismissals are handled can raise questions.
“As an experienced cricketer I will not focus on someone failing in T20 cricket but on how is he getting out, what is his decision making is like, I will focus on that. They are good enough players to find solutions and they will think over it,” he said.
A player’s ability to manage pressure in the shortest formats is how they are always evaluated, according to Ashwin.
“T20 cricket is (all) about failures, you are bound to fail. You will not be able to play percentage cricket. As per this, I will think (about) the player who can handle pressure and can deliver wins,” he said.
“Those players can be given long rope because T20 cricket is not about consistency, it’s about excitement, putting fear in the opposition.”
Ashwin was also taken aback by England’s tactics in all forms, claiming that their aggressive approach is costing them more games than they are winning.
“…if I was England, I would be really worried, because they play Bazball, one-day and T20 cricket… all that is fine,” he said.
“One can talk about it as much as they want, sometimes they pull off wins too. But I think they are losing more than they are winning so it is a serious matter of concern.”