Sanju Samson has been sidelined by BCCI once again, and Irfan Pathan takes a stand, “If I were him…” – Magazine Creations

The teams participating in the Australia series were selected by a panel coached by Rahul Dravid and featured two separate squads. Young talents like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna and Washington Sundar got call-ups for the first two ODIs.

Both Rahul and Ishan Kishan have been named as the regular wicket-keeping options, sidelining Samson, who was previously named as a reserve in the Asia Cup squad.

Meanwhile, Sanju Samson left an interesting post on Facebook that caught the attention of his fans.

Also interesting is the return of veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, who was last seen in ODIs in 2022. He has returned to the ODI setup after recovering from a hamstring injury, replacing the injured Axar Patel.

Ashwin’s choice

Rohit Sharma mentioned the importance of Ashwin’s vast experience. The Indian captain said that a player like Ashwin, who has nearly 100 Test matches and 115 ODIs under his belt, does not need consistent playing time to remain relevant. Its inclusion aims to assess a cricketer’s current form and fitness levels.

“With the kind of experience he has, for guys like him, it’s all about the head more than the body. I thought getting him involved could give us a chance to understand where he’s at, what his body is like and things like that,” he said.

Meanwhile, other key players like Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill retained their places in the ODI squad. Tilak Varma is a new addition for the first two matches against Australia.

Updated: Sep 19, 2023, 02:47 PM IST