The Kerala and Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson is set to be included in the India squad to face Australia in the T20I series after the completion of the ongoing World Cup 2023.
The preparations for next year’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA, India and Australia will meet in a 5-T20I series in India from November 23. With the series starting just 4 days after the scheduled final of the World Cup 2023, a largely second-string unit is to be selected by the BCCI selectors.
The selectors are expected to give rest to the players who are currently in the World Cup squad, and pick a second-string squad to take on Australia. In that, Sanju Samson is likely to make his comeback in the Indian team with KL Rahul set to be rested, and Ishan Kishan could also be rested.
The selectors are expected to announce the India squad for the 5-T20I series against Australia later this week.
Sanju Samson cracked two fifties in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Sanju Samson led Kerala to the quarter-finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2023. Although he finished the tournament with a couple of single-digit scores, Sanju Samson recorded two impressive half-centuries.
Against Odisha, he scored 55* in 31 balls, and against Chandigarh he scored 52 off 32 balls. Samson’s last outing for India was in the T20I series in Ireland and before that in the West Indies. In his previous knock for India, in a T20I against Ireland in Dublin, Samson had whacked 40 runs in 26 balls. He was, however, underwhelming in the T20I series against West Indies in August, managing scores of 12, 7, and 13.
Sanju Samson has ordinary T20I numbers: in 21 T20I knocks, Samson averages 19 with a strike rate of 133 with only one half-century to his name.
Here are some reactions of Sanju Samson’s fans:
This T20I series against Australia, should he be selected, would be very crucial for Sanju Samson to lay a claim to feature in the squad in next year’s T20 World Cup.
With Hardik Pandya nursing an ankle injury, which ruled him out of the World Cup, and Rohit Sharma likely to be rested, it’s still uncertain who will lead India against Australia. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who captained India to Asian Games gold medal, is a likely candidate.
