Former Australian National Cricket Team spinner Brad Hogg has said he should apologize to Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and Rahul Dravid for his controversial comments made by star wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson’s father Vishwanath.
Brad Hogg said Sanju Samson’s father’s comments were unnecessary and could have put the wicketkeeper-batsman under pressure.
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What did Sanju Samson’s father Vishwanath say?
Sanju Samson cemented his place in the Indian T20I squad with back-to-back centuries as he opened the innings for the side.
After Samson became the first Indian to smash a hundred in T20I cricket, his father Vishwanath Samson made some explosive comments.
He blamed legendary Indian stars MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma for wasting 10 years of his son’s career.
Vishwanath felt that his son was not given adequate opportunities by the aforementioned quartet and they hurt him a lot, only to see Sanju come out of the crisis stronger than ever.
Speaking on the official YouTube channel, Brad Hogg said that Samson’s father should not have made such comments about India’s legendary cricketers. He said:
“Sanju Samson’s father has come out and said publicly that Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Dravid have set back their careers by 10 years. It’s not the ideal situation you want to be in. They are four big names in Indian cricket. They are ‘very successful’.”
Hogg highlighted how comments made by Vishwanath could backfire and put the wicketkeeper-batsman under pressure. He also advised Samson’s father to apologize to Dravid, Dhoni, Kohli and Rohit. He said:
“Sanju Samson is a fantastic player. He is starting to cement his place in the Indian team. Then he scored two hundreds. I just feel that comments like this from the family are putting too much pressure on Sanju Samson moving forward. I think an apology is due and it is for the sake of Sanju Samson’s career.”
Shut up and let the bat do the talking – Brad Hogg
Hogg further stated that after years of stint and consistent performances for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Samson got a break in the Indian team and he needs to make his bat do the talking.
“He has proven himself in the IPL. He is the captain of Rajasthan Royals. There are quality players, quality batsmen who are all lined up for India. It is very difficult to get in there,” the former Australian cricketer added.
“So you have to disrupt the process. You can’t control what’s on the voters’ or the voters’ minds. So for me, when it comes to situations like this, shut up and let the bats do the talking.”
