India Coach on Spin Threat, Hints at Sanju Samson Return

India’s coach highlighted the challenges of finger-spin and large grounds slowing the batting, with Sanju Samson emerging as a possible option ahead of the Super 8 stage.

India’s T20 World Cup has started without full batting flow. The team has struggled to build momentum in the middle overs and has relied on individual efforts to reach competitive totals. Abhishek Sharma’s hat-trick of ducks has increased concern around the top order. Opposition teams have used smart plans on slow pitches with big boundaries.

Speaking before the Super 8 games, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said finger spinners have slowed India’s scoring by taking pace off the ball. Pakistan bowled 14 overs of finger spin and returned figures of 4/78. He added that the Colombo pitch was difficult for batting. Off-spinner Aryan Dutt also troubled India, dismissing Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan in the powerplay.

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“I’d say finger spin (is the problem). If you take the combined figures, Pakistan bowled 14 overs of finger spin in the last game and, off the top of my head, it was something like 4/78. So it’s not a great number,” explained ten Doschate.

“Colombo was a particularly difficult wicket. The numbers against the Netherlands improved towards the back end. But again, Dutt bowling four overs for what he did was a big challenge. I think these two venues in particular—with a bigger boundary here and obviously a slower wicket in Colombo—exaggerate that. But it’s something we’re going to have to focus on,” the coach added.

Sanju Samson Could Come In For Better Balance

India’s batting lineup features several left-handers, including Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh and Axar Patel. Ryan ten Doeschate noted that this has encouraged opponents to rely heavily on finger spin. The India coach then admitted the team has limited alternatives and noted that Sanju Samson remains an unused right-handed option who could improve balance.

“And obviously teams are bowling a lot of finger spin to us, with so many left-handers in our lineup. That is a challenge. It has made it easier for the opposition. We don’t have many options. We’ve got Sanju sitting on the side,” said ten Doeschate.

“With the amount of finger spin we’re going to get in the next three games, it’s going to be important that we dominate that phase of the game,” the coach concluded.