A post on the BCCI’s website featuring Sanju Samson has gone viral and is setting the internet on fire. It is related to India’s squad for the five-match T20I series against West Indies starting tonight in Trinidad.
The post surprisingly shows Samson’s name included in India’s 18-member squad. Why this comes as a surprise is because Samson was originally, and still not part of India’s T20I setup for the series against West Indies and only included in the ODI squad, which is why this development has left everyone puzzled.
Another interesting thing about this is that India’s squad on the BCCI website does not mention KL Rahul, who contracted Covid-19 and was expected to be ruled out. However, the BCCI is yet to official announce an update on Rahul and his participation for the series. If he is ruled out, it is likely that a replacement is named, and it’s quite possible that it’s Samson but there has been no official word on Rahul’s health by the board.
Samson, since his debut in 2015, has played 14 T20Is for India, scoring 251 runs from 13 innings at an average of 19.30. He has one half-century in the format which he recently scored in the second T20I between India and Ireland earlier this month. Samson scored 77 off 42 balls as he along with Deepak Hooda’s century played a pivotal role in India’s narrow 4-run win.
Samson carried the same form in the West Indies ODI series, scoring a fine 54 – his maiden fifty in the format – in the second match of the series which India won to take an unassailable lead over the hosts. If at all Samson is picked as Rahul’s replacement, the official confirmation of which is yet to come, it promises to be a good move ahead of the T20Is.
