Ashwin shuts down Sanju Samson critic with savage reply

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come to Sanju Samson's defence after a fan questioned his continued support for the Kerala wicketkeeper batter.

Samson endured a disappointing five match T20I series against New Zealand, scoring just 107 runs despite starting with a brilliant 67 in the opening game.

His poor performances prompted criticism on social media, but Ashwin had a rather interesting response.

Ashwin's cheeky reply goes viral

A cricket fan tagged Ashwin on X and wrote:

"Hello Ashwin, your first choice Sanju flopped throughout the entire series."

The fan also shared an image highlighting Samson's 107 runs from five matches.

Ashwin was quick to respond.

"Sanju is my first choice, he's your full-time obsession "

It was a cheeky response from the former India spinner, who has consistently backed Samson as one of his preferred options in India's T20I batting line-up.

Clearly, Ashwin wasn't changing his opinion simply because Samson had endured a difficult series.

Samson struggles after promising start

Samson began the series with an impressive 67 but failed to build on that performance.

His scores in the remaining four matches were 14, 18, 4 and 4, meaning he managed just 40 runs after the opening game.

His struggles have also intensified the debate around India's batting combination, particularly with 15 year old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi pushing for opportunities.

Despite Samson's disappointing returns, India won the five match series 3-2, although New Zealand fought back to win the final two games.

For Samson, it was another frustrating series after a promising start.

But Ashwin's response made one thing clear. The former India spinner is still backing him.