India is set to rest the senior players including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah during the upcoming T20I series against Australia, which follows the ongoing World Cup. As a result, star wicket-keeper batter, Sanju Samson, is likely to secure a place in the Indian squad. The series serves as an important stepping stone for India’s preparations for the T20 World Cup next year, and it’s almost probable that the Rajasthan Royals captain, Sanju Samson, will be part of the team.
It is expected that the selectors will announce the team for the IND vs AUS T20I series this week.
Sanju Samson in for IND vs AUS T20I series?
Leading Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2023 quarter final, Samson, however, couldn’t make a big impact with his bat. He could only muster two half-centuries out of his eight matches. His took a significant hit during the quarter-final against Assam, where he was dismissed for a golden duck.
In that match, Sanju’s attempt at an aggressive shot on the first ball he faced backfired. This game witnessed Kerala’s batting lineup crumbling, leading to their elimination from the tournament. But it is expected that Sanju’s performance with the bat in the SMAT will not affect the national team selection.
Despite not making it to the World Cup squad, Samson is set to serve as the team’s primary wicket-keeper in the upcoming series. Given the absence of senior players, it is likely that Sanju may also assume the key batting role at number four for the team.
With senior players rested, there are strong indications that the young opener Ruturaj Gaikwad could be entrusted with the role of leading the Indian team in the upcoming series. Notably, Ruturaj had previously captained the team to a gold medal victory for India at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China.
India’s probable squad vs Australia: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rahul Tripati, Tilak Verma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Deepak Chahar, Mukesh Kumar.
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