IND vs SA: “You tend to mix up…” Anil Kumble says Sanju Samson deserved a spot in India's ODI squad against South Africa
(Courtesy : BCCI)
Anil Kumble feels Sanju Samson should have been picked for the ODI series against South Africa.
Former Indian Cricket Team spinner Anil Kumble feels that Sanju Samson deserved a spot in the Indian squad for the ODI series against South Africa Cricket Team. He also justified Samson’s spot by stating that he hit a hundred in the last ODI he played.
On Sunday, November 23, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India’s squad for the three-match series. In the absence of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer due to injuries, KL Rahul will captain the Men in Blue in the campaign.
Notably, India brought back batter Rishabh Pant as a second keeper in the side. Pant last played an ODI in August 2024 against Sri Lanka in Colombo but was part of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad. Moreover, uncapped ODI player Dhruv Jurel is another wicket-keeper in the squad, but he is there as a specialist batter.
One name that I would have wanted to see was Sanju Samson: Anil Kumble
Speaking on day 3 of the second test between India and South Africa in Guwahati, Kumble said that he expected Samson to be part of the ODI squad against the Proteas. He also recalled that Samson hammered a century in his last appearance in the 50-over format, hence, he deserved a place in the upcoming series.
“One name that I would have wanted to see was Sanju Samson as well, because I think the last ODI that he played a couple of years ago, I know he was not a part of the Australia ODI squad, but Sanju got a hundred,” Kumble said.
“So I think when you play these three different formats or two formats, you tend to mix up the form and everything else. So that is something that I think one needs to keep in mind when you are picking squads,” he further added.
Notably, Samson last featured in an ODI game in December 2023 against South Africa in Paarl, where he scored 108 runs off 114 deliveries batting at three. Leading the team to victory by 78 runs, he won the Player of the Match award. His absence from the previous ODI series against Australia also became a hot topic of discussion among fans.
Meanwhile, the India vs South Africa ODI series will commence on November 30 with the opening game in Ranchi, followed by the next two encounters in Raipur on December 3 and Visakhapatnam on December 6, respectively.
When did Sanju Samson last play an ODI game for India?
Sanju Samson last played an ODI game for India in December 2023 against South Africa.
How many ODI games will be played between India and South Africa?
Three ODI games will be played between India and South Africa.
When will the IND vs SA ODI series start?
The IND vs SA ODI series will start on November 30 with the opening game in Ranchi.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.