'Don't Think he Has That Game': Harbhajan Singh Weighs in on Suryakumar Yadav vs Sanju Samson Debate

It’s a call that has drawn contrasting responses but former India offspinner Harbhajan Singh says the selection of Suryakumar Yadav over Sanju Samson for the 2023 ODI World Cup is a reasonable call considering the differences in their games.

Despite his struggles in ODIs, Harbhajan thinks Suryakumar is a complete player and the game he has for the middle overs is what has worked in his favour when compared to Samson.

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“I feel Suryakumar Yadav is a complete player,” Harbhajan said during a virtual press conference organised by Star Sports on Thursday. “I don’t think the selectors have been harsh on Sanju Samson. I do feel Sanju is a quality player but you can only select 15 players (in ODI World Cup squad). Picking Suryakumar over Sanju is the right call because the game that Suryakumar has in the middle overs, I don’t think Sanju has that game.”

Though Samson is known for his aggressive approach, he has often been criticised for playing rash shots that have ended promising innings.

Harbhajan reckons Suryakumar too starts playing his shots quite early but he’s more reliable than Samson whose approach makes him more vulnerable.

“Even he (Suryakumar) goes for big shots from the first ball but Suryakumar gives you reliability (and) he can score big. Sanju, I feel, plays the kind of cricket where there is a lot of chances of (him) getting out. Suryakumar, I know a lot of people ask what has he done in ODIs, but then what he has done in T20s, if his innings is only going to be that long then I feel in that position, there isn’t a better player than Suryakumar in India,” Harbhajan said.

Suryakumar is the world’s top-ranked T20I batter and averages 46.02 from 50 innings. He boasts of a stunning strike-rate of 172.7, has scored three centuries and 15 half-centuries too making him a cut above the rest.

Sadly, his numbers in ODIs are quite below par  – 511 runs from 24 innings at 24.33. It’s a fact that even Suryakumar has acknowledged on multiple occasions, hoping to improve his numbers in the one-dayers.