After missing out on the World Cup, Sanju Samson has returned to the India side for the IND vs SA ODI series. However, the celebration of Sanju Samson’s return could be short-lived. One would have expected Samson to play all three ODIs with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma absent. But that may not be the case. He might miss out on a spot if India opt for Rinku Singh or KL Rahul sticks to his No 5 spot.
While KL Rahul had been India’s designated opener in the past, circumstances have changed with the success of Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan in ODIs.
Furthermore, KL Rahul has already established himself at No 5 and the team management might be reluctant to move him from that position in the IND vs SA 1st ODI.
Why Sanju Samson could miss out?
Even though there is an opening conundrum with Ruturaj Gaikwad as the only specialist at present, if the team management does not back Sanju Samson to open the innings, he will have to settle for a spot in the middle order.
If KL Rahul opens the innings with Ruturaj Gaikwad, there will be a vacant spot at No 5. Sanju Samson could be the man for the job. But if KL Rahul sticks to No 5 and India prefer a left-hander in Tilak Varma at No 4, Sanju will have to fight for a spot with Rinku Singh, who has been in great form.
Rinku Singh vs Sanju Samson
With no fixed spot in India Cricket Team, Sanju Samson has been longing for a proper role in the team. However, it has never been the case with him. He has batted at No 3, 4, 5 and 6.
With Shreyas Iyer certain at No 3 and Tilak Varma at No 4 apart from KL Rahul at No 5, the only spot up for grabs is No 6. Even though Sanju Samson had played crucial knocks at that spot, Rinku Singh’s emergence has certainly changed things.
In 8 T20I innings, Rinku Singh has already left a mark, striking the ball at 180.68. And the selectors want to see if he can do that as well in ODIs. Thus, he has received a maiden ODI call-up.
That changes things for Sanju Samson. If his previous competitions were not enough, he now has to compete with Rinku Singh as well.
To back his claim, Sanju Samson has had a great run in ODIs. In 13 matches, he has averaged 55.71 and has maintained a strike rate of 104.00. While it wasn’t enough to beat Suryakumar Yadav to the competition for World Cup spot, it could be enough to pip Rinku Singh in the IND vs SA ODI series.
India ODI squad for IND vs SA: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (C)(wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar.
