Sanju Samson has touched down in Anantapur. The batter from Kerala wasn’t originally selected for any of the four teams in the Duleep Trophy. However, it was reported that he could be Ishan Kishan in India D’s squad. Kishan had picked up an injury according to the report, and Samson would replace the wicketkeeper batter from the two remaining games.
India D were facing Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Team C at the Rural Development Trust Stadium when Samson was spotted sitting in the dugout. Samson doesn’t have the greatest of records in first-class cricket (average of 38.54), but he is undoubtedly one of the most talented keeper batters in India. Even in the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 season, he averaged just 35.4 and scored just one fifty.
What’s Ishan Kishan’s status?
However, it isn’t Samson’s inclusion but Kishan’s omission that’s eyebrow-raising. The batter had decided to ball the red-ball season after skipping the last Ranji Trophy last season. He even participated in the Buchi Babu tournament to prepare for the Duleep Trophy but wasn’t named in India D’s XI.
Whether he’s injured or not is uncertain. But some have claimed that he’s at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) at the moment. Samson’s entry in Anantapur also suggests that he’ll play the next two matches and that Kishan won’t be available.
India D squad
Shreyas lyer (C), Atharva Taide, Yash Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ricky Bhui, Saransh Jain, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Aditya Thakare, Harshit Rana, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Sengupta, KS Bharat (WK), Saurabh Kumar.
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