India T20 WC Squad: Sanju Samson SNUB: A large section of Indian cricket fans was furious to know that Sanju Samson did not make the cut for T20 World Cup. He was not even named in the reserves. Instead, Shreyas Iyer got the nod in reserves along with Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami and Ravi Bishnoi. Instead, Deepak Hooda got the nod, solely because of his bowling abilities. Follow T20 World Cup 2022 LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
“Of course, Sanju has all the talent in the world. But it comes down to combinations. At present, we are a batting heavy side at the top. None in the Top 5 bowls. In case, someone suffers a niggle in the match, it becomes difficult. We wanted someone who can bowl 1-2 overs if needed. Hooda gives us that option. He has already proven his batting skills,” a member of the selection committee told InsideSport.
India T20 WC Squad: As fans MIFFED with Sanju Samson SNUB for Deepak Hooda, Selector explains REASON, Check WHY?
With his flashy knocks and brilliant skills with the gloves, Sanju Samson has created a fan base that can rival Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. However, as it came down to Sanju Samson vs Deepak Hooda, the choice became easier.
India T20 WC Squad: Why Deepak Hooda trumped Sanju Samson?
- Hooda has averaged 41.85 since making his debut in February.
- In 9 innings, he has scored a century and has three 30+ scores.
- He has also maintained a strike rate of 155.85.
- Sanju Samson in the meantime has averaged 44.75 in 5 innings.
- He has a strike rate of 158.40 and a half-century besides two 30+ scores in five innings.
- Yet, it was Hooda who trumped Samson in terms of selection.
- In IPL 2022, Sanju scored 458 runs at an average of 28.63 and a strike rate of 146.79.
- Deepak Hooda scored 451 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 136.67.
- It proves that both have been in neck-to-neck fight.
- Deepak Hooda gives India the 6th bowling option that would have been missing in Samson.
- It is unlikely that Hooda will find a place in the Playing XI with Axar Patel or Ravichandran Ashwin as preferred options.
- Sanju Samson is expected to get a call-up for the ODI series against South Africa.
#SanjuSamson must have seriously done something wrong, to not even feature in the standbys list. #CricketTwitter #T20WorldCup
— Vishesh Roy (@vroy38) September 12, 2022
@IamSanjuSamson got dropped again! #SanjuSamson https://t.co/HauxR2T8Rf pic.twitter.com/b5EQ3IsStc
— basil joseph (@basiljoseph25) September 12, 2022
India T20 WC Squad: As fans MIFFED with Sanju Samson SNUB for Deepak Hooda, Selector explains REASON, Check WHY?
India T20 WC Squad: As fans MIFFED with Sanju Samson SNUB for Deepak Hooda, Selector explains REASON, Check WHY?
“It’s unfortunate that Sanju had to miss out. He is an extraordinary talent and that is why we have been monitoring him. But in the end, it is about team combination. We already have Dinesh and Rishabh as two wicketkeepers and it would have been futile to take another keeper to Australia. But it doesn’t mean that Sanju is not part of our plans. He will get his chance in the ODIs and in T20s in future,” the selector said.
InsideSport tried reaching out to Sanju Samson but all efforts went in vain.
India squad for ICC T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.
Standby players – Mohd. Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Chahar.
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