IND vs NZ: Why is Sanju Samson Not Playing Today’s India vs New Zealand 1st T20I? Check India Playing 11

Sanju Samson India vs New Zealand: The biggest news development from the India camp is that premier batsman Sanju Samson will be unavailable for the three-match T20I series against New Zealand at home. India will take on New Zealand in the first T20I match on 27 January, 2023 at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi. The Men in Blue will definitely be high on confidence after having registered an excellent 3-0 ODI series whitewash against the Kiwi team at home.

IND vs NZ: Why is Sanju Samson Not Playing Today’s India vs New Zealand 1st T20I? 

Just before the second T20I game against Sri Lanka earlier this month, India’s Sanju Samson sustained a knee injury while fielding in the opening game of the series and was subsequently ruled out from the three-match T20I series. He was not available for selection in these three T20I matches against New Zealand at home as he has not yet recovered completely. In his T20I career so far, Samson has scored 301 runs from 17 games at a strike-rate of 133.78 that includes a half-century as well.

After nearly 20 days of being injured, Samson shared an update on his fitness with a video on his Instagram story. The video showed him undergoing a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), where he has been undergoing rehabilitation since the injury. Despite initially stating that the injury was not serious and that he might return soon, Samson was replaced in the squad by Vidarbha wicket-keeper batter Jitesh Sharma. However, the training video suggests that it may not be long before he returns to the cricket field, delighting fans of Samson.

India Playing 11

1. Ishan Kishan (wk)
2. Shubman Gill
3. Rahul Tripathi
4. Suryakumar Yadav
5. Hardik Pandya (C)
6. Deepak Hooda
7. Washington Sundar
8. Shivam Mavi
9. Arshdeep Singh
10. Kuldeep Yadav
11. Umran Malik

India vs New Zealand 2023 Schedule