Ricky Ponting questions Nasser Hussain's knowledge of Sanju Samson after Rohit Sharma wins 'favourite player' honour

Rohit Sharma, undoubtedly one of the best batters in world cricket, is often overshadowed by the exhilarating performance of Sanju Samson when he is in full flow. This sentiment was shared by Ricky Ponting during a discussion with Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports. While discussing various topics in world cricket, both Hussain and Ponting were heavily inclined towards Indian players when asked about their current favorites. After much consideration, Hussain chose Rohit as his favorite player, and it's easy to see why.

Rohit has been instrumental in India's recent success. He led India to the final of the 2023 World Cup and finished the story when he and his team finally landed an ICC title after 11 years by lifting the T20 World Cup trophy earlier this year. Yes, the home Test series loss to New Zealand will sting, and his current form is under the scanner following poor outings in the last eight innings, but let these recent setbacks not take anything away from what an asset he continues to be for India.

"I would say I like Rohit Sharma. I have to be honest. I just think back, and it's so hard; such a difficult task but Rohit makes it look so easy. Batting, I always felt rushed when you're facing any bowler. You feel like you're out of time. Rohit seems to have so much time to play a shot; the pull that he plays," Hussain said.

While Hussain's answer was limited to Rohit, Ponting listed many names that he finds exciting. One of them was Samson, an enigma in Indian cricket. Despite being amply talented, the number of chances Samson gets always leaves a lot to be desired. He was part of India's T20 World Cup squad but didn't get a game. However, when he did – such as in the T20I against Bangladesh, Samson roared to form with a breathtaking T20I century. So while the likes of Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are all exciting batters for Ponting to consume, Samson's mention took the cake.

"Yeah, I was thinking about Rohit Sharma. In fact, you can nearly mention the whole Indian batting line-up. Let's start with Rohit; then there's Shubman Gill. I like watching him play. Think about Rishabh Pant, and you've got somebody like Virat somewhere in the middle of that. I'm not sure how much you've seen of a guy called Sanju Samson in T20 cricket. He's a lovely player to watch when he's up and about and going as well," said Ponting, a four-time World Cup winner for Australia.