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

14.08.2023 - 10:33 sports.ndtv.com

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.

The Rajasthan Royals skipper was a part of all the five T20Is against West Indies but could not deliver a big knock even in a single match.

Out of the five matches, he did not get the opportunity to bat in two, and in the remaining matches, he fetched low scores like 12, 7, 13.

cricket India Cricket Team West Indies Cricket Team 2023 West Indies vs India West Indies Rajasthan Royals Sanju Samson India

The Indian cricket team is in its final stages of preparation for the Asia Cup. They are currently attending a camp in Alur, Karnataka where they are taking yo-yo tests. Accoridnf to a report by news agency PTI, young opener Shubman Gill has topped with an impressive score of 18.7. All the cricketers who have so far appeared for the YoYo test have passed the cut-off level of 16.5 with Virat Kohli also putting up an impressive 17.2 as per his Instagram story.

India's ICC World Cup 2023 Squad: No Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson And Prasidh Krishna In Sourav Ganguly's 15-Member List

Former Indian cricket team skipper Sourav Ganguly named his pick for India's ICC World Cup 2023 squad and it had some interesting exclusions. Ganguly decided to not include the trio of Sanju Samson, Prasidh Krishna and Tilak Varma - all three players who were picked for Asia Cup 2023. It included both Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul who are making a return from injury and were added in the squad for Asia Cup. India will start their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 8 in Chennai.

Watch: "Stop Creating Controversy" - Sunil Gavaskar's Stern Message To Team India Fans

Legendary Indian cricket team batter Sunil Gavaskar had a somewhat stern message for cricket fans following the announcement of the Asia Cup 2023 squad. Skipper Rohit Sharma and BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar named the 17-member squad on Monday and it was followed by various discussions over the inclusions and also some exclusions - namely Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin. During his analysis, Gavaskar had several points to make but he made it clear that the team is already selected and the fans should look to support them instead of creating 'controversy' over the choices.

Sanju Samson "Being Wasted" At No. 6 In T20Is: Ravichandran Ashwin Opens Up On This 'Debate'

Veteran India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has backed wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson to bat at no. 3 in the ongoing T20I series against Ireland. Samson, who has been synonymous with no. 3 while playing for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has been asked to bat lower down the order for India. However, with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan rested for the Ireland tour, Samson might get the chance to bat in his preferred position.

"Not The Original Injury": Why Sanju Samson Was Selected As Asia Cup Back-Up

Rahul and Shreyas Iyer were on Monday named in India's squad for the Asia Cup, beginning August 31 while young batter Tilak Varma earned a maiden call-up to the one-day format. There were question marks over the fitness of Rahul and Iyer, who are making a comeback after undergoing thigh and back surgeries respectively. Iyer last played in March and Rahul in May. Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has been added to the squad as a back-up for Rahul who has developed a niggle recently.

Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson Or KL Rahul - India's Wicket-Keeper Conundrum In Asia Cup 2023

The Indian cricket team squad for Asia Cup 2023 is most likely to be announced on Monday and questions still remain on the choice of wicket-keepers for the competition. Rishabh Pant provided India with a stable option in all three formats but his injury last year has resulted in multiple experiments in hunt for the perfect team composition. While Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson were provided opportunities from time to time, KL Rahul was also tried out as a makeshift option to open up space in the middle-order to play an extra batter in order to stabilise the young core of the team.