'If India wanted Sanju, he would've played the Asia Cup': Former BCCI selector says Samson 'not in scheme of things'
Sanju Samson's omission from India's T20 World Cup 2022 squad which was announced by the BCCI on Monday was perhaps the only talking point. A former BCCI selector explained what that was
Sanju Samson's omission from India's T20 World Cup 2022 squad which was announced by the BCCI on Monday was perhaps the only talking point. Samson was always going to face stiff competition from Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant, but to see his name go missing from the reserves squad as well was a bit baffling with the selectors opting for Shreyas Iyer as the only batter in the list. Samson has featured for India in several matches lately but those have only been against West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe when the top players were rested, but to say that he has capitalised on his opportunities would be a bit of an exaggeration.
In his last eight innings, Samson has registered scores of 12, 54, 6 not out, 30 not out, 15, 43 not out and 15. Add to that his stellar run in the IPL – 484 runs in 2021 and 458 runs in 2022 – Samson is a bonafide match-winner. But while these may not be abysmal numbers, the fact that Samson has scored just one half-century once again brings up the question about his consistency.
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Weighing in on Samson's absence, former BCCI selector MSK Prasad believes that for the 27-year-old wicketkeeper batter to have secured a berth in the squad, someone needed to go out which looking at the squad picked, appears highly unlikely. Prasad even added that going by what has transpired lately, he is not confident if Samson is or was anywhere up the selector's radar as far as the World Cup goes.
"The question is, Sanju Samson, in place of who? Deepak Hooda gives you that extra bowling option. He can bat anywhere like Sanju, and Shreyas has done well in the home series against Sri Lanka and then in the West Indies. If the team management wanted to pick Sanju, they would have given him an opportunity in the Asia Cup or the upcoming home series against South Africa and Australia. If he is not picked, one knows he is not in the scheme of things," he told The Indian Express.
Having said that, Prasad reckons once the T20 World Cup is over, the selectors could be looking to shape the next bunch of young Indian cricketers, in which Samson, along with a couple of more names, are likely to warrant a place. "I have a feeling that post this T20 World Cup, guys like Sanju, Ravi Bishnoi, Ishan Kishan and others will get more chances and will be regulars, at least in T20Is," added Prasad.
