'Sanju mera first-choice': Ashwin comes to Samson's defence after New Zealand series struggles

Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson may have endured a difficult T20I series against New Zealand, but Ravichandran Ashwin was not going to let another round of criticism pass without a cheeky comeback.

The former India spinner took a playful swipe at a social media user who questioned his continued backing of the wicketkeeper-batter following another low score in the fifth T20I on Sunday.

Samson's struggles continued in the series decider as he was dismissed for just four runs. A social media user then attempted to draw Ashwin into the debate, pointing to the batter's disappointing run and questioning his support for him."Hello Ashwin, your first choice Sanju flopped throughout the entire series @ashwinravi99," the user wrote.Ashwin responded with a witty one-liner that quickly caught attention: "Sanju mera first-choice, tumhara full-time obsession (Sanju is my first choice, he's your full-time obsession)."

Samson's lean run sparks selection debate

Samson's scores across the five-match series read 67, 14, 18, 4 and 4. After making a promising start with a half-century in the opening T20I, the right-hander struggled to build on it, managing only 40 runs across his final four outings.

His inconsistent returns have fuelled debate on social media over whether India should consider giving young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi an extended opportunity at the top of the order.Sooryavanshi featured in two matches during the series, scoring four and 45. His aggressive approach and promising knock have added another dimension to the selection discussion, although the teenager is still at an early stage of his international career.

How India fared in the five-match series

India began the series strongly, winning the first three matches to take an unassailable 3-0 lead. New Zealand responded by winning the fourth and fifth T20Is to finish the series on a high, reducing the final margin to 3-2.