Sanjay Manjrekar Hits Bullsye As Sanju Samson Flops: "Getting A Little..."

Former cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar decoded Sanju Samson's pattern of dismissal in the recently concluded T20I series against England. The short-length delivery is one of the oldest tricks in cricket that has survived the wrath of time while holding on to its lethal nature. Among its many users, the West Indies speed demons from the era of 1980 to 2000 were the most proficient. For Samson, it wasn't the length that troubled him but the speed at which the ball came to him and the technique he implemented to overcome it. 

Samson's entire series was summed up in his failed attempts to try to execute a pull shot. Five matches, five different venues and five dismissals for Samson to Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Saaqib Mahmood, all five while playing the pull shot, a pattern, coincidence or concern was the question left with the viewers.

"He is getting a little slow. The ball seems to be rushing onto him. That is something he needs to work on. After playing those shots, he could have maybe changed his trigger movement and got onto the off-stump because these players do that quite comfortably. So little street smartness at the right time should see him through," Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo Timeout show while assessing Samson's struggle.

While understanding the crux of Samson's recent woes, the past doesn't offer anything substantial to prove that pulling the ball away has been a long-term problem for him.

During India's tour of South Africa in November, Samson tried to execute nine pulls or hooks against fast bowlers. In all of his attempts, he found success that brought him 35 runs without facing any dismissal.

Even in the last three seasons of the IPL, Samson has lost his wicket just four times in 55 balls