Credit: X
Following a defeat for Punjab Kings against Gujarat Titans by three wickets at home, the former Indian cricketer, Virender Sehwag, criticised Sam Curran, the Punjab Kings stand-in captain, for his lacklustre performances in the IPL 2024. The 45-year-old remarked that he wouldn’t pick Sam Curran in his team, neither as a batting all-rounder nor as a bowling all-rounder.
During the match against Gujarat Titans, Sam Curran opened the batting after winning the toss for Punjab Kings, but he could score 20 runs in 19 balls with a couple of boundaries. After PBKS managed to reach a 142-run total, the stand-in captain only bowled a couple of overs in the GT run chase, picking up a wicket while conceding 18 runs, but it wasn’t enough for them to win at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.
After Punjab Kings lost, Virender Sehwag didn’t mince his words while talking about the lacklustre performances from Sam Curran, who is the stand-in captain of the team, in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan due to a shoulder injury. The former Indian cricketer said on Cricbuzz, “If I was in the PBKS dugout, I would not even pick him (Sam Curran) in my team, neither as a batting all-rounder nor as a bowling all-rounder. I wouldn't pick him.”
“A player is not of any use if he can bowl a bit and bat a bit. You either bat properly and win us the match, or you bowl and win us the game. This bits and pieces part I don't understand,” Virender Sehwag added.
Notably, in the IPL 2024, Sam Curran has scored just 152 runs in eight innings at a strike-rate of 116.03, although he has a fifty to his name this season. On the bowling side of things, he has picked up 11 wickets, but his performances with the ball haven’t helped the cause for PBKS.