Why is Sanju Samson not selected in India's ODI squad for Australia tour? Revealed

Sanju Samson has been picked as wicket-keeper in India’s T20I squad for Australia tour.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian Cricket Team’s squad for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against Australian Cricket Team on Saturday, October 4. Some of the key names were missing from the ODI squad and one among them was wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant, who was ruled out of the series due a foot injury.

With Rishabh Pant being ruled out, it was expected that Sanju Samson, who is the first choice keeper in the T20Is, will be in the ODI squad as a backup to KL Rahul. However, that wasn’t the case as Samson was not picked and instead, uncapped wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel got the nod ahead.

Sanju Samson’s snub from the ODI team came as massive surprise, especially with spot being vacant as well. In the last game that he played in the format, he slammed a ton against South Africa in South Africa and many criticised the BCCI for not adding him in 50-over cricket.

Ajit Agarkar reveals why Sanju Samson was not picked in ODI squad

India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar was asked about Sanju Samson’s snub, replying to which, he said that the keeper-batter is a top-order batter and selectors wanted a like-for-like back-up for wicket-keeper KL Rahul, who bats in the middle-order in ODIs. Hence, Jurel was given preference.

“Sanju Samson can’t play in middle order in ODIs, he is top order batsmen. Given that KL Rahul is the current wicket-keeper and he bats in the middle order, usually at number five, the selectors want a like-for-like replacement. It’s more about position. Selectors view Samson as a top-order batter in ODIs. That’s why, for now, Jurel gets the nod,” he said.

Coming to the Indian ODI squad, Shubman Gill was named as the new captain, while Shreyas Iyer has been appointed as vice-captain. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are also part of the team and the question now remains purely on their future.

Meanwhile, India and Australia are scheduled to play three ODIs from October 19 to 25. Later, the five-match T20I series will be played from October 29 to November 8. All-rounder Hardik Pandya was ruled out of both series due to an injury. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested from the ODI series to manage his workload, but will be part of the T20I series.

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