Sanju Samson Dropped Or Playing? Twitter Confused As Star Makes 'Comeback' On Field In First ODI vs West Indies

27.07.2023 - 15:15 sports.ndtv.com

India went with Ishan Kishan for the first ODI against West Indies on Barbados on Thursday. That meant that the wicketkeeper-batter in the squad Sanju Samson had to warm the bench.

However, fans were in for a surprise when 'Samson' made an appearance on the field. However, it was actually Suryakumar Yadav who was wearing the jersey of Sanju Samson.

Needless to say, fans had a field day while seeing the sight on social media. SKY wearing Sanju Samson's Jersey pic.twitter.com/AODi4XhrgW Surya wearing the Jersey of Sanju Samson.

pic.twitter.com/xTUTwrmyhk Sky wore Samson jersey @BCCI pic.twitter.com/gQQWdPUuMU SKY teasing Samson fans pic.twitter.com/0HzXCtO6r1 India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to field against West Indies in the first ODI on Thursday at the Kensington Oval.

cricket India Cricket Team West Indies Cricket Team 2023 West Indies vs India comeback on as West Indies Rohit Sharma Shai Hope Suryakumar Yadav Sanju Samson India Barbados Jersey

India went on an experimentation spree in the limited overs series against the West Indies but not much came out of it except Tilak Varma emerging as a contender for a World Cup middle-order slot on the back of his exploits in the T20 series. Ahead of the Asia Cup and subsequent World Cup, India were looking for options in the middle-order in the ODI series but the number four slot remains up for grabs.

"Play Rinku Singh Instead...": India Star On Sanju Samson And Why Middle-order Is "Not The Right Place" For Him

Sanju Samson failed to impress in the T20I series against West Indies. The batter returned scores of 12, 7, and 13 against the Caribbean side. In two matches, he batted at the number 5 position while in one game he came in at number 6 spot. Star Indian player Abhishek Nayar believes that the team mismanaged the wicketkeeper-batter by sending him in the lower-middle order. It is worth noting that Samson usually bats at number 3 or 4 position in Indian Premier League and domestic cricket.

"Against Sanju, The Plan Was...": How West Indies Nullified Samson Threat

Another outing for the Indian team, another disappointing show from Sanju Samson. The wicket-keeper batter failed to make an opportunity account yet again as the Indian team lost the deciding 5th T20I against West Indies by 8 wickets. With the series loss, many feel that the chances of Sanju Samson making the Indian team for the Asia Cup or the World Cup are also over. While Samson is to be blamed for throwing his wicket at times, West Indies had come up with a concrete plan to nullify him in the 5th T20I on Sunday.

"Thank You Sanju Samson": Fans Mercilessly Troll Wicketkeeper For Flop Show vs WI

The five-match T20I series between India and West Indies ended in the favour of the hosts, with a 3-2 score-line. Opting to bat on Sunday, the Hardik Pandya-led side visibly struggled and reached a total of 165/9 in 20 overs after Suryakumar Yadav scored 61 runs. Later, West Indies comfortably chased down the target in just 18 overs with eight wickets in hand. Among all the Indian players, this series turned out to be a nightmare for wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, who once again failed to leave an impact.

"Don't See Sanju Samson In World Cup If...": Ex-India Star's Honest Take On Batter

Former India batter Aakash Chopra has raised doubts over Sanju Samson's place in the squad for the World Cup. Samson, who is currently with the Indian team in West Indies, smashed a fifty during the third ODI against West Indies earlier this month. Chopra feels that Samson's participation in the World Cup will depend on KL Rahul's fitness. Rahul is currently undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Rahul, alongwith Shreyas Iyer, will be given plenty of time to prove their fitness.

"Don't Waste Your Chance...": Ex-India Batter Issues Warning To Sanju Samson

Team India will aim for redemption in the third T20I against West Indies on Tuesday. The Hardik Pandya-led side will be coming to this clash after facing a two-wicket defeat in the second T20I, going down 0-2 in the five-match series. In the ongoing series, Team India gave chance to Sanju Samson, who smashed a half-century in third ODI but failed to repeat his heroics in the first two T20I matches. Former India opener Aakash Chopra has come up with a warning for Samson, stating that he should not waste his chance, or else he will be replaced by wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma.