Gautam Gambhir questions Sanju Samson's mindset after his inconsistency in IPL 2021

Former Indian opening batsman Gautam Gambhir is not happy with the performance of Sanju Samson in the ongoing IPL season. The veteran has opined that Sanju Samson's inconsistency is pulling him down in the tournament. RR skipper started the 14th edition with an exceptional inning in the first match. However, post that, he hasn't been able to continue his form with the bat. Gautam Gambhir highlighted that his inconsistent outcomes could be because of a mindset issue.  

While talking about Sanju Samson, the former also noted that there had been an issue of consistency with his batting. He points out that the wicket-keeper batsman always starts with a big score but then slowly, his runs start to dry. He began with a brilliant century against Punjab Kings (PBKS), but since then, his scores have been 4, 1, and 21. Rajasthan Royals have only managed to win once from 3 matches in the tournament.

This inconsistency has also cost Sanju Samson his place in the Indian cricket team: Gautam Gambhir

On April 22, 2021, Rajasthan Royals faced Royal Challengers Bangalore. Sanju Samson had a massive responsibility on his shoulders after opening batters Jos Buttler and Manan Vohra were dismissed for single-digit scores. The skipper scored a decent 18-ball 21 with 2 fours and one six. However, he was then dismissed to Washington Sundar, going for another big hit. The Jaipur-based franchise managed to score only 177/9 in 20 overs. 

Gautam Gambhir further reckoned that this inconsistency has also cost Sanju Samson his spot in the Indian team. He scored only 83 runs in 7 T20I matches. This could be the reason why the team management decided to bring in Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Ishan Kishan for the wicketkeeper-batsman position in the team. During a discussion, Gautam Gambhir stated that players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers, are always able to follow up their big scores of 80 with another 30 or 40 runs. However, Gambhir mentioned that with Sanju Samson, it's either a big score or nothing.

The Jaipur-based franchise struggled for consistency throughout the season and ultimately finished the tournament at the bottom of the points table in 2020. Sanju Samson, however, had a decent outing. The right-handed batsman, who has been playing for the team since 2013, finished IPL 2020 as Royals' top run-scorer. The 26-year-old scored 375 runs in 14 innings at an impressive strike rate of 158.

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