The Indian men’s cricket team for the next home series against Australia was named by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector, was the one in charge of this vital reveal. He held a virtual news conference for the two sides created for the ODI series against Australia.
India, the 2023 Asia Cup champion, will play Australia in a three-match ODI series to start on September 22. The ODI series is crucial to India’s ICC ODI World Cup 2023 preparations, which start next month. The Team India lineups for the ODI series between India and Australia have come out on Monday.
While Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will miss the first two ODIs and KL Rahul will serve as Team India’s captain in those games, spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is now part of the roster. Sanju Samson, an Indian wicketkeeper-batter, will not take part in the ODI series. Also, he will not even be travelling with the team for the World Cup.
Sanju Samson omitted from the Indian squad against Australia
The unusual combo of entry and exit in the selection process brings a lot of attention. A big change in the team’s dynamics will come with Ravi Ashwin’s comeback to the ODI setup.
The decision to rest seasoned players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, and Hardik Pandya for the first two ODIs with a comeback in the final match sparked huge debate among cricket fans.
Keeper-batsman Sanju Samson broke his silence on his exit from the series by posting on social media that he “chooses to move forward.”
Samson was in the reserves for the Asia Cup but exited the competition midway through after KL Rahul becomes fully fit. Samson is currently in the UAE improving his game while taking some time off.
It has been Sanju Samson’s tale. Constant rejections, and even if he gets his name in the squad, his chances of playing remain slim. Yes, he didn’t have a terrific T20I series against the West Indies, but in his penultimate ODI against the Men in Maroon, he struck a quickfire 51 off 41. Despite having a format average of 55 and a strikeout rate of 104, he was still disregarded as a pure batter.
What’s next for Sanju Samson & Team India?
Due to Rohit Sharma’s absence, KL Rahul will captain the side for the first two games. The dependable Ravindra Jadeja will act as the vice-captain of the team.
The topic of debate, though, was the exclusion of wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson from the team. On many social media channels, cricket fans and past players showed their anger and disbelief while supporting Samson’s claim for inclusion.
There were several heated arguments and debates around his non-selection. So Sanju Samson decided to express his feelings on the subject via Instagram. By sharing his thoughts and feelings on his exclusion from the Indian team on social media. Sanju gave his response to the unfolding cricket news in India a personal touch.
Sanju Samson Records for India
The year 2014 saw the debut of Sanju Samson. He has played for India in fewer than 50 international games. That despite making his debut in 2014 when he plays for his country. He has played in 13 ODIs for India so far. Scoring 390 runs at an average of 55.71 and a strike rate of 104 in 12 innings. His best score, an 86*, came from one of his three half-centuries.
His T20 statistics involve 374 runs in 24 games and 21 innings. He averages 19.68 with a strike rate of 133.57. Additionally, he has one half-century with a top score of 77. The last time Samson played for India was during the West Indies trip in July and August of this year.
He played poorly in the T20I series. Despite scoring a half-century in his most recent ODI and a total of 60 runs in two games. In just three innings, he only managed to score 32 runs, with the highest total being 13.
KL Rahul missed the first two games of the Asia Cup in Pakistan-Sri Lanka owing to a niggle. So Sanju was chosen as a travelling reserve. He did not get to play even one match. Due to KL’s return during the Super Four round and Ishan Kishan’s ongoing scoring streak.
He has scored 3,888 runs at an average of 29.23 and a strike rate of just over 137 in 152 IPL games. His best score was 119, and he has scored three 100’s and 20 fifties.
