Indian fans were thrilled after star wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson made it to the national squad, for the home T20I series against Afghanistan.
The BCCI announced the squads for the multi-format tour on Sunday. With the T20 World Cup on the horizon, it was important for the Rajasthan Royals skipper to be named in the squad for the upcoming series.
Bet here on India vs Afghanistan T20 series and other cricket matches!
Notably, key players such as Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma were back in the T20 squad while KL Rahul was rested. Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav are nursing minor injuries and are expected to be back in the T20I squad ahead of the 2024 World Cup.
MORE: When did Virat Kohli last play a T20I game?
Did Sanju Samson deserve a place in the Indian side?
The Indian selectors have a set pool of players. There will be minor alterations but one cannot expect wholesale changes to the core team.
Samson was included in the West Indies and Ireland trip earlier in the year and he had a mixed bag of results away from home.
Against West Indies, he scored 13 of nine balls in the third T20I, whereas against Ireland he posted 1*(1) and a 40 (26) respectively.
Decent numbers, but not ones to establish oneself as indispensable in the squad. And when you get ignored, despite the frontline names being rested, the message is loud and clear.
MORE: When did Rohit Sharma last play a T20I game?
Can he play in the T20 World Cup in 2024?
Samson was named the skipper of Kerala in the Vijay Hazare trophy. With now him being named in the squad for the Afghanistan series, the route is simple. He needs to perform consistently in the upcoming series to cement his place in the World Cup squad.
He is competing against Ishan Kishan, who had been in good nick. KL Rahul, who was India's first-choice wicketkeeper in the ODI World Cup last year, is likely to remain the team's preferred wicketkeeper in the T20I World Cup despite him being omitted from the upcoming series.
What is Sanju Samson's record in ODI & T20I?
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODIs | 16 | 14 | 5 | 510 | 108 | 56.67 | 398 | 99.61 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 19 | 8 | 2 |
| T20Is | 24 | 21 | 2 | 374 | 77 | 19.68 | 280 | 133.57 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 15 | 14 | 3 |
What is Sanju Samson's record in IPL?
| YEAR | MAT | NO | RUNS | HS | AVG | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4S | 6S | CT | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 152 | 15 | 3888 | 119 | 29.23 | 2834 | 137.19 | 3 | 20 | 304 | 182 | 76 | 15 |
| 2023 | 14 | 2 | 362 | 66* | 30.17 | 236 | 153.39 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 24 | 3 | 3 |
India T20I squad for series against Afghanistan
- Rohit Sharma (C),
- S Gill,
- Y Jaiswal,
- Virat Kohli,
- Tilak Varma,
- Rinku Singh,
- Jitesh Sharma (wk),
- Sanju Samson (wk),
- Shivam Dube,
- W Sundar,
- Axar Patel,
- Ravi Bishnoi,
- Kuldeep Yadav,
- Arshdeep Singh,
- Avesh Khan,
- Mukesh Kumar.
Ready to make your predictions for India vs Afghanistan T20I series? To find all the latest odds, betting and cricket scores and fixtures from India click here