IND vs NZ, 2nd ODI: Oh boy, oh boy, what just transpired? no points for guessing here, Sanju Samson has been dropped, yet again from team India's playing XI for the second One Day International (ODI) against New Zealand. With the 2023 World Cup in sight and another 19 matches to go, the Indian team management have this uphill task of identifying a proper XI ahead of them. Right now what is bugging cricket pundits & fans all over the globe is the treatment that Samson is being dished out.
After his stellar show in Auckland, it was almost given that Samson will make it to the final XI for the second ODI, but he has been left out. After the conclusion of the New Zealand series, India will travel to Bangladesh for two Test matches and three ODIs, but unfortunately, Samson isn't a part of that tour too. Rishabh Pant, a stalwart in Test match cricket is having innumerable troubles in the white ball format, but fortunately or unfortunately, he still finds a place in the team. Pant is Dhawan's deputy in the ongoing series, and the vice-captain of the team, but his performance with the bat has been pretty mediocre & lackluster. All the big boys such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli & KL Rahul have been rested for this particular series and that opened doors for many players to put their skills on display. India are yet to determine their number 4 for this format and as far as the experimentations go, it will be very safe to say that they are not going anywhere with this. Indian cricket has already been plagued with the term 'workload management', and everybody saw what happened in the T20 World Cup, just like all the ICC events, they crumbled when it mattered the most.
As of now, Samson averages 66 in the ODI format and has registered a strike rate of over 104. As far as his credentials as a player are concerned, Sanju is a wicketkeeper and can contribute with his glovework too. What is surprising is the management's attitude towards Samson, that too even after his consistent performances. In the first ODI that was played in Auckland, Sanju helped India cruise through troubled waters when the situation demanded. Sanju's omission from the India XI has left Twitterati fuming.
Here is how the Netizens reacted:
India XI: Shikhar Dhawan(c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
New Zealand XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson(c), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson
