KL Rahul the reason behind Sanju Samson's snub for SL ODIs, but he isn't the true back-up for Rishabh Pant: Report
India vs Sri Lanka: Both Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul was picked for the ODI series against Sri Lanka while Sanju Samson was ignored.
Rishabh Pant is all set to make a comeback into the ODI format next month when India take on Sri Lanka in a three-match contest in Colombo, which will likely kick off their preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy next year. Pant has not been in action in the format since suffering a life-threatening accident in December 2022. Pant has been named as one of the wicketkeepers alongside KL Rahul, who had kept wickets during the 2023 ODI World Cup in the former's absence. However, Rahul isn't the true back-up for Pant in the format.
Rahul was one of India's top performers at the ODI World Cup last year, smashing 452 runs in 10 innings, laced with a hundred and two fifties, batting at No. 5 for India. The right-hander, who was once India's opener across formats, had adjusted himself well at the middle-order position.
However, with Pant back in the ODIs, fresh from the T20 World Cup-winning campaign, he is expected to resume his role in the format of a middle-order wicketkeeper-batter. This implies Rahul will have to sit out for the three games against Sri Lanka, which will be played between August 3 and 7.
Yet, Rahul isn't the backup wicketkeeping option for India, according to a report in ESPNCricinfo, which revealed selectors rather have Dhruv Jurel, who made an impressive start to his international career in his debut for India during the England Test series earlier this year, as the main back-up keeper across formats.
The report further said that Rahul's selection led to Sanju Samson missing out on a spot in the ODI squad despite scoring a stunning maiden international ton in India's last ODI match in December 2023, where the former had led the team against South Africa in an away series.
Rahul, however, was not named in the T20I series, where Samson was picked as a backup for Pant. The selection move certainly indicates that Rahul is no longer in the scheme of things in the shortest format as India build towards the 2026 T20 World Cup. He had earlier been ignored for the T20 World Cup, before suffering the same for the tour of Zimbabwe earlier this month.
