Sooryavanshi Should Play, But Not At The Expense Of Dropping Someone : Pujara

The five-match T20I series opener between India and England was called off due to unrelenting rain in Durham after the Men in Blue posted 189 runs on the board. Speaking on JioHotstar's 'Match Centre Live', JioStar experts Cheteshwar Pujara and Parthiv Patel shared their thoughts on India's batting performance, whether Sanju Samson's form could put his place in the side under pressure, and Shreyas Iyer's maiden half-century as Captain. 

Speaking on JioHotstar's 'Match Centre Live', JioStar expert Parthiv Patel weighed in on India's batting performance after winning the toss and opting to bat first: 

"From India's point of view, they needed this kind of batting performance, especially after what had happened in Ireland. They wanted to challenge themselves; they wanted to adapt to the conditions early, and India did that really well in this game. 190 runs on this pitch, with three spinners bowling through the middle overs, I thought India had enough runs to defend. Nevertheless, they will definitely be more confident going into the second T20I." 

On Abhishek Sharma's counter-attacking knock: 

"I thought he batted really well. He understood the conditions well. There was a slightly spongier bounce in Durham, but he made sure that whenever the opportunity presented itself, he capitalised on it. That over from Saqib Mahmood was an important one, where he stepped out and hit three boundaries, two over point and one over mid-off. Then, when the spinners came on, he chose the right areas to hit those sixes. Scoring runs in the SENA countries, South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia, puts a stamp on your authority and your skill set. Usually, that's how you get judged. He did well in South Africa, then in Australia, and now he has scored runs in English conditions as well. That is the reason why he has been either the No. 1 or No. 2 T20I batter for almost a year." 

Speaking on JioHotstar's 'Match Centre Live', JioStar expert Cheteshwar Pujara heaped praise on Captain Shreyas Iyer's innings after India were in early trouble: 

"It was an important knock from Shreyas Iyer and, when you are leading the team, you always look to lead from the front. He showed a lot of maturity because India were in trouble after losing a couple of early wickets. Abhishek played a good knock, but it was important for Shreyas to hold one end up and take his time. Once he was set, he played some quality shots. If you look at his innings at the end of the 20 overs, you know that, as a captain, you have done your job. You have put your team in a very commanding position. This was a perfect knock from Shreyas, both as a leader and as a batter." 

On whether Sanju Samson would be dropped to get Vaibhav Sooryavanshi into the playing XI: 

"I think India should persist with Sanju Samson. I don't think he should be feeling any pressure. He has proved himself in the T20 World Cup and, with the kind of talent he possesses, he should be there in the playing XI. There shouldn't be a lot of noise about dropping Sanju Samson. He is a quality player and should get a longer run. Sanju just needs to bat naturally and not think too much. If Vaibhav needs to play, he should play, but not at the expense of dropping someone, rather by resting someone. If you want to give him an opportunity, that is fine. But you shouldn't be dropping any of India's top three players, whether it's Sanju, Abhishek or Ishan Kishan. Having said that, Vaibhav does deserve an opportunity, and his opportunity will come."