Sanju Samson, who has never had a decent run at the international level, was dropped for the West Indies T20Is after he had played just one T20I against Ireland and had registered his highest score for India (77). India preferred to stick with the tried and tested Shreyas Iyer and the rising star Deepak Hooda.
Former India pacer Dodda Ganesh was not impressed by the Indian selectors’ decision to drop Sanju Samson from the T20I side for the West Indies tour.
Sanju Samson’s Axe For West Indies T20Is Baffles Dodda Ganesh
Since his debut in Zimbabwe way back in 2015, Sanju Samson has only played 14 T20Is for India. The most matches he has got at a stretch have been three. No wonder the fans were miffed at the Rajasthan Royals’ skipper’s exclusion who has been one of the most talked about performers in the IPL for a long time.
“Ideally, you would want to players like Sanju Samson in the T20s. Ignoring him for Shreyas Iyer is beyond cricketing rationale,” tweeted Dodda Ganesh.
Sanju Samson of course was the less talked about omission as the 18-member Indian side announced Thursday for the West Indies T20I did not feature senior pros Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. BCCI didn’t clarify the reason but it in all likelihood both of them were rested.
Sanju Samson has been a consistent performer in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals over the last two seasons. The skipper led Rajasthan Royals to the final of IPL 2022, scoring 458 runs at a strike rate of close to 150.
Sanju Samson has struggled to replicate his IPL exploits at the international level as the Kerala batter, who made his debut in 2015, has managed 215 runs at a meagre average of 19.30 in 14 T20Is. His first T20I fifty (77) came in the last T20I match against Ireland-the same match where Deepak Hooda scored his first T20I ton.
In the 2nd T20I against Ireland, Sanju Samson scored 77 off 42 balls including 9 fours and 4 sixes and was involved in a 176-run partnership for the 2nd wicket with Deepak Hooda.
Ravichandran Ashwin, KL Rahul, And Kuldeep Yadav Returned To India’s T20I Squad For West Indies Tour
Ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin returned to the T20 format, as was opener KL Rahul and left-arm spinner, Kuldeep Yadav if they prove their fitness to confirm their spots. One believes this will be the final test before the selectors zero in on Yuzvendra Chahal’s backup in the 2022 T20I World Cup squad. Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravi Bishnoi are the specialist spinners in the squad along with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
India’s all-format captain Rohit Sharma will lead the pace-heavy squad with several breakthrough stars from the IPL 2022. Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan held on to their places, however, Umran Malik was overlooked.