SA vs IND 2nd T20I: Why is Sanju Samson not playing South Africa vs India series?

Sanju Samson has to be the most polarizing figure in the Indian cricket. While no one can deny that the right-handed batter has some serious talent, he has not justified it on the international level.

Why is Sanju Samson not playing South Africa vs India series?

While many will argue that Sanju Samson never got a long rope unlike the other players, in a country like India, one has to grab whatever opportunity one gets.

Sanju Samson made his T20I debut in 2015 and has played 24 T20 matches in the Indian jersey. He has scored only 374 runs at an average of 19.68 and a strike rate of 133.57, including only one fifty.

The Kerala batter was not in India’s plans for the ODI World Cup as KL Rahul served as the wicketkeeper-batter. However, everyone was expecting his name in the T20I squad for the South Africa tour as India will need a wicketkeeper-batter in the absence of Rishabh Pant.

However, surprisingly, there was no Sanju Samson in India’s T20 squad for South Africa series. The wicketkeeper-batter found his name in the ODI squad. It sent a clear message to the Kerala batter that he is not in India’s plans for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Sanju Samson is a top-order player and India are currently stacked with the top-order batters, including the wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan. India need someone in the lower middle order in the role of the finisher.

Jitesh Sharma did no harm to his chances after performing brilliantly in the limited opportunities he got. On the other hand, Sanju Samson’s numbers and inconsistency don’t add too much confidence. The truth is that other players are ahead of him for the wicketkeeper’s role in the Indian T20I team at the moment.

Sanju Samson Last 10 T20I innings