Sanju Samson should be a regular in India's white-ball setup: Former India captain

Sourav Ganguly urged the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee to keep Sanju Samson in India's ODI and T20 teams in the upcoming assignments after the opener scored a match-winning 97* on Sunday, March 1, against the West Indies.

Samson's 50-ball blitzkrieg helped India chase down a 196-run target at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, and took the defending champions to the semi-finals. During his epic knock, the wicketkeeper-batter hit 12 fours and four sixes. The Men in Blue romped home in 19.2 overs, with five wickets to spare.

"Outstanding. He's a very good player. He should consistently play for India in the white-ball," Ganguly was quoted as saying by India Today.

The former India captain said that Samson has the ability to inflict damage on the opposition. He lauded the 31-year-old for playing to the situation of the game.

"You know, when he gets in, he'll hurt the opposition. He played to the situation which is important," Ganguly added.

Ganguly highlighted Samson's struggles in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup. The BCCI president praised the Indian opener for showing resilience to overcome his lean phase and shutting the critics out with his performances with the bat.

“What it teaches all of us is that the same boy could not find in the last six months, could not find his place in the team, either there was Ishan Kishan opening or somebody else coming in. Just before the World Cup, I used to go through media headlines that said Sanju fails again, he should not be deserving a place in the side, India has so much talent, why is not Shubman Gill in the side and yet here is a boy in a quarterfinal game, gets 97 and takes you to the semifinal,” said Ganguly.

India will lock horns with England in the second semi-final on Thursday, March 5. This highly-anticipated fixture will be played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Meanwhile, New Zealand and South Africa will square off in the first semi-final at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.