Team India is gearing up to return to the field after a month as they take on West Indies in a two-match series. The Indian team will be playing in the Caribbean for a month as part of the multi-format tour. While the tour begins with Test matches, the focus will mostly be on the ODIs as the Rohit Sharma-led side try to plug the holes ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup and zero in on the combination they are likely to play with in the tournament.
After phasing out Shikhar Dhawan from the ODI side, the team management has stuck with the combination of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill at the top. Gill with his outstanding touch across all formats, has become a first-choice in every Indian line-up. Since Dhawan is not in the plans for the BCCI anymore, the selectors have kept Ishan Kishan in the squad, not just as a backup wicketkeeper but also as a backup opener.
However, former India selector MSK Prasad has come up with an out-of-the-box suggestion for captain Rohit's opening partner in ODI cricket. While talking about Sanju Samson's comeback in the ODI setup, Prasad said that the 28-year-old wicketkeeper batter is miles ahead of Suryakumar Yadav in terms of competition for a spot in the side and he could well be considered for the opener's position.
“Surya is already there, I don’t think there will be a competition between Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav. Sanju is a top-order batter and Surya is middle order number 4 and number 5 batter. You never know you can also see Sanju Samson open along with Rohit Sharma. So I don’t think there’s any competition between Sanju and Surya, the competition will be between Sanju and a wicketkeeper-batsman,” Prasad told Khel Now.
However, it's unlikely that Samson will be considered for opening the innings as he has been prepared for the finisher's role. Samson, who averages 66 in 50-over cricket, is making his return to the ODI setup for the first time since the New Zealand series in November last year and with KL Rahul unavailable till Asia Cup 2023, the wicketkeeper batter will hope to grab the opportunity with both hands.
