Sanju Samson is wondering whether he is being played only for keeping: Aakash Chopra

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has opened up on Team India’s playing XI, toss strategy, and Sanju Samson in his latest preview ahead of the game against Oman on Friday, September 19.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra has asserted that India should opt to bat first after winning the toss against Oman so that most of the batters get to bat in the first innings. Moreover, he also talked about Samson’s batting position in the XI.

"Should India bat first if they win the toss? I feel you should put a stamp on that. Bat first. You chased 50-odd runs in the first match and nearly 130 runs in the second match. If you bat first, everyone will get to bat and be in form. Everyone does not have form as of now. We have seen glimpses," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Furthermore, Chopra also highlighted Samson not getting to bat in the XI. Interestingly, he only managed to keep the wickets so far in the campaign in two concluded games against the UAE and Pakistan, which didn’t go down well with the former cricketer.

"Sanju Samson is wondering whether he is being played only for keeping as the five above him have batted and the five below him have bowled. If Sanju Samson doesn't get a chance in this match, he might not get to bat in the entire Asia Cup. Give him a chance and get the guy in form," he added.

"Now that you have made his job difficult, you have to make it easy in a way. You have made it difficult because you are not playing him in the top three. He has scored most of his runs there. If you are not playing him there and are playing him from Nos. 5 to 7, give him more chances," he stated.

"He should be given a lot of opportunities. If it's in your mind to give an opener 10 chances, if you are going to play him from Nos. 5 to 7, give him 20 chances. It won't work out with less than that. His batting doesn't come half the time," he concluded.

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