‘There are gaps:’ Aakash Chopra reacts to Sanju Samson’s omission from ODI squad for Sri Lanka tour

Sanju Samson’s absence from India’s ODI squad for the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka has raised some eyebrows. In his last ODI appearance, Samson scored a century (108) against South Africa in Paarl on December 21, 2023. Samson’s omission came as a surprise to many, with former India batsman Aakash Chopra among those who found it hard to believe that the 29-year-old batsman had been dismissed.

Chopra responded to the news of Samson’s absence by saying in a video on his YouTube channel that Samson was being ignored because of the return of experienced players and the transition in Team India.

“The problem is that you often see that the main team players don’t play between two World Cups. Then a young player plays, and if he does well, you think he’s very good and should be given opportunities, but as soon as the senior player is available, the senior plays and the young player is left out. If you look at it logically, it’s good because he warmed the bench, but is it good?” Chopra said.

“When the transition happens – a new coach, a new captain or a new selection committee – sometimes bridges are not built and there are gaps in the middle. In the case of Sanju Samson, that gap is there because there is no clarity of thought because he had scored a century the last time he played, so why is he not part of the team now?” he added.

Since making his ODI debut for India in July 2021 against Sri Lanka, Samson has scored 510 runs in 16 matches. He has a strike rate of 99.6 in ODIs. Apart from one century, he has also scored three fifties for the Men in Blue.

In the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Samson was on top with the bat for the Rajasthan Royals, scoring a total of 531 runs.

Although Samson failed to secure a place in India’s ODI squad, he managed to retain his place in the T20I squad, led by Suryakumar Yadav.

video carousel

India’s T20I squad for Sri Lanka series: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ꮪhubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh , Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj

India’s ODI squad for Sri Lanka series: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana

India’s T20I squad for Sri Lanka series: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ꮪhubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh , Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj

India’s ODI squad for Sri Lanka series: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana