Among those not included in India’s T20 World Cup squad, perhaps the most talked about name was that of Sanju Samson. The top order batter who led Rajasthan Royals to the IPL 2022 final not only wasn’t named among the 15 member squad but also couldn’t find a place among the reserves for the upcoming tournament in Australia.
The BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, however believes that the road is not over for the 27-year-old.
I just LOVE this part of my life ❤️👌🏽#stronger 💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/dGqevAZIoc
— Sanju Samson (@IamSanjuSamson) September 9, 2022
“Sanju is playing well. He played for India but just missed the World Cup,” Ganguly said ahead of the first India-South Africa T20I. “He is in the Indian team’s plans. He is now a part of the ODI team against South Africa. Also he has done well in the IPL franchise and he is the captain also.”
Since last year’s T20 World Cup, Samson (158.40) has the second best strike rate for any Indian batter in T20Is after Suryakumar Yadav.
Samson recently led India A to a 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand A in the ODI series in Chennai. In the final ODI, the captain was the highest run scorer for India A as the hosts beat the visitors by 106 runs.
With the members of the T20 World Cup squad likely not to participate in the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa, Samson’s role would be critical for the hosts in a bilateral series just a year ahead of the next 50 overs World Cup.
