Sanju Samson remained absent from the playing XI for the second T20I of the three-match series against West Indies. The match is being played at his home ground in Thiruvananthapuram and locals had been expecting Samson to feature in the game. However, the team management decided to stick with the winning combination.
Samson played his first international game in the shortest format against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2015, which remains his only appearance for India.
The Kerala player had been out of the international setup due to the presence of MS Dhoni and the emergence of Rishabh Pant. Pant continues to be India's first-choice wicketkeeper.
The 25-year-old batsman was first selected for the series against Bangladesh this year, but remained on the bench in all the three games. After being left out of the squad for the series against West Indies, he was recalled after opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out with injury.
Samson impressed the selectors with his exploits for India A in the limited-overs series against South Africa, and his performances for Kerala in domestic tournaments.
Earlier today, Samson received a hero's reception from the Kerala crowd as he arrived for the warm-up ahead of the second T20I. He was also greeted by the Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, who was impressed by his fan following in his home state.
Watch:
India lead the three-match series 1-0 after registering a comprehensive victory over the West Indies in the first T20I in Hyderabad. Skipper Virat Kohli reached his career-best 94* to lead India to a six-wicket win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
The T20I series will be followed by a three-match ODI series.
