In an ideal world, a batting average of 55.71 would unquestionably secure a spot in the national team for the One Day International (ODI) format. However, the cricketing landscape isn’t operating under usual circumstances, especially for wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson. Despite his exceptional performances in the 50-over format for the Indian team across 13 games, Samson finds himself on the sidelines, not only missing out on the ODI World Cup but also the upcoming 3-match series against Australia. The decision has sparked criticism from his loyal fan base, and even former cricketing legends are expressing sympathy for his predicament.

One such former cricketer, Robin Uthappa, who played a pivotal role in India’s T20 World Cup victory in 2007, empathizes with Sanju Samson’s current situation. Uthappa’s recent social media post, shared on X (formerly Twitter), garnered significant attention after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian squad for the ODI series against Australia. In a tweet, Uthappa expressed, “No one would want to be in Sanju’s shoes right now!!”

He further delved into the issue in another tweet, stating, “The justification could be that even if he was in the squad, he wouldn’t get a game. But not even being in the squad would be quite disheartening.”

Sanju Samson, the talented wicket-keeper batter, had been a hopeful contender for a spot in the national team, but his dreams were put on hold as he was not included in the Indian cricket team’s squad for the upcoming ODI series against Australia. This exclusion came as a surprise to many experts and fans, particularly given the resting of big names like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in preparation for the Cricket World Cup 2023. Instead, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Prasidh Krishna secured spots, even though Gaikwad had Asian Games commitments. India opted to rely on KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan for the wicket-keeping duties. Following this announcement, Sanju Samson took to his Facebook account to share a cryptic message.

The virtual press conference to unveil India’s squad for the three-match ODI series against Australia was held on Monday. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, unveiled two distinct teams for the ODI series against Australia. While stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya were given a break for the first two ODIs, India will field a full-strength squad for the third and final ODI, with the return of Ravichandran Ashwin to the ODI setup.

KL Rahul was named the captain for the first two ODIs in the absence of Rohit Sharma, with Ravindra Jadeja serving as his deputy. The Indian squads for the ODI series against Australia are as follows:

KL Rahul (Captain and wicketkeeper),Ravindra Jadeja (Vice-captain),Ruturaj Gaikwad,Shubman Gill,Shreyas Iyer,Suryakumar Yadav,Tilak Varma,Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper),Shardul Thakur,Washington Sundar,R Ashwin,Jasprit Bumrah,Mohammed Shami,Mohammed Siraj,Prasidh Krishna.