Team India have added Sanju Samson to their T20 squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against West Indies. The series is scheduled to start on Friday (July 29) in Trinidad.
Sanju Samson has been added to the squad as a replacement for KL Rahul. The Kerala star was a part of the squad for the recently-concluded ODI series against West Indies but was not named in the T20I squad.
Rahul, on the other hand, was named in the T20I squad but his availability depended on his fitness. The right-handed batsman has been out of action since the IPL ended.
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After the completion of the IPL, he had gone to Germany for a groin surgery. After the successful completion of operation, he has gone back to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and had been posting pictures on his social media account about his rehab programme.
And while he did recover in time for the series, he could not go to the Caribbean due to Covid-19. Earlier this month, he had tested positive for Covid-19. Rahul did complete his isolation period, but was reportedly advised one more week’s rest and recuperation by the BCCI’s medical professionals.
Sanju Samson included in T20I squad:
On Friday, the BCCI included Sanju Samson in the squad for the T20I series. While the BCCI is yet to announce the decision, Samson’s name was there in the squad list for the first T20I against West Indies.
Samson would be hoping to get an opportunity in the playing eleven and make the most of it. The selectors’ decision to not name him in the T20I squad pretty much made it clear that he is no more in the plans for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Samson, however, could still change things around if he makes the latest opportunity count. He recently scored a fine fifty against West Indies and will be hoping to get a chance in the T20Is.
India T20I squad:
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav*, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.