Given his commendable average of 55.71 in ODIs, one would typically expect Sanju Samson, the wicket-keeper batsman, to be an automatic choice for the national team. Despite having displayed exceptional form in 13 games for India in the 50-over format, Samson has not only been omitted from the ODI World Cup squad but also from the series against Australia. Fans have been vocal in their disappointment with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee’s decision, and even cricket veterans have expressed their support for Samson.
Robin Uthappa, a member of the Indian team that clinched the T20 World Cup in 2007, can’t help but empathize with Samson’s current situation.
Reacting to the squad announcement on X (previously known as Twitter), Uthappa remarked, “No one would want to be in Sanju’s position right now!!”
Elaborating on his thoughts, Uthappa tweeted, “Perhaps the thought was that even if he made the squad, he might not play. However, being left out entirely is surely a tough pill to swallow.”
The justification could be that even if he was in the squad he wouldn’t get a game. But not even being in the squad would be quite disheartening.
— Robin Aiyuda Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) September 19, 2023
No one would wanna be in Sanju’s shoes right now!!#madness
— Robin Aiyuda Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) September 19, 2023
On the other hand, while Samson’s exclusion caused a stir, Ravichandran Ashwin found his way back to India’s ODI squad. This marks his return after his last ODI appearance for the team in January of the preceding year. Ashwin’s comeback was facilitated by an injury sustained by Axar Patel.
Although Axar Patel hasn’t been declared unfit for the ODI World Cup, there’s potential that Ashwin might replace him for the prestigious event.
