"Getting Sympathy Is Easy But...": S Sreesanth Rips Into Sanju Samson

Since the Indian squad for the ODI World Cup 2023 was announced, the chatter in the Indian cricketing fraternity has been around Sanju Samson's absence. The wicket-keeper batter found no place in the 15-man squad for the World Cup and wasn't picked for the Australia ODI series too. As fans contemplate whether Samson deserved to be picked in India's ODI team, at least for the Australia series, former India pacer S Sreesanth expressed his disappointment at the 'sympathy' the player is getting.

"I think it's the right decision because it's very important for a player to understand himself," Sreesanth said in a chat on Sportskeeda. "From Gavaskar sir to Harsha Bhogle sir and Ravi Shastri sir, everyone rates him highly. There's no doubt about his ability. But the approach... he doesn't listen when someone asks him to play according to pitch. He can change that attitude."

Sreesanth said that he even had a chat with Samson over his application on the 22-yard strip. But, the former pacer remains disappointed to see the wicket-keeper batter failing to show the sort of consistency that a player at his level should.

"Whenever I meet him, I tell him just one thing: "Sanju, please read the wicket. Wait, don't go after every bowler. Think. You can hit anyone anywhere anytime, just wait for the opportunity," he added.

Samson has a huge fan following, and Sreesanth isn't unaware of that. The 2011 World Cup-winning India speedster feels Samson is getting plenty of Sympathy from his fans, but not the sort of appreciation for his performances that is required to excel at this level.

"All of Malyali people who support him, including me, say he doesn't get chances. We can't say that. He got chances against Ireland, Sri Lanka, he has been