Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa believes that for the Men in Blue to improve their chances of winning the Twenty20 World Cup in 2024, they should focus on developing Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda for the finisher’s role.
Dinesh Karthik, who is now 37 years old, was India’s top finisher in the Twenty20 World Cup 2022; however, it appears that the selectors have moved on from him because he was not picked to the Twenty20 International team for India’s trip to New Zealand.
In an interview that was conducted exclusively for Sportskeeda, Robin Uthappa discussed the match-winning potential that is possessed by both Samson and Hooda. He believes that by providing them with additional game time, they will be better able to learn the position. Uthappa said:
“There is no question that Hardik will be present. In addition to him, though, I believe that Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda should play the position of the finisher for India. In the run-up to the next Twenty20 World Cup, these are the players that they need to focus their attention on. Because they have the potential to win you matches, you need to cultivate them and provide them with many opportunities.”
India must have persistence when dealing with the finisher: Robin Uthappa.
Uthappa had something to say about it:
“It is likely that Kaif bhai is aware that batting in the sixth position is never simple and that the success percentage is not always very high. Therefore, you must exercise patience with them, and it is essential for the selectors, the coaching staff, and the leadership group to do so as well. In Twenty20 cricket, I believe that batting at positions 4-7 is the most difficult thing to do.”
In the Twenty20 internationals that will be played against New Zealand, it will be fascinating to observe Samson and Hooda’s positions in the batting order.
Mohammad Kaif, a former cricketer who played for the Men in Blue and was also known for his finishing batting, was the player that Robin Uthappa highlighted as an example. Uthappa is of the opinion that due to the difficulty of the task, the team management and the selectors need to exercise patience with anybody they choose to nurture for that particular spot. This is because the role is so demanding.
