Recently, BCCI had announced squads for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa and the rescheduled fifth Test against England. There was a lot of anticipation surrounding the possible squad for the T20I series against South Africa. But soon after the announcement, a wave of disappointment hit the cricket lovers when they couldn’t see a few names who they were sure would make the cut. Netizens and critics like Harsha Bhogle took to Twitter to express their anger and distress over snubbing star players like Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, Shikhar Dhawan, and others.
Over the last few seasons, these players have shown great consistency with their plays. Since 2021, Tripathi has scored a staggering 790 runs and remained steady throughout the tournament and the domestic circuit. So far, Rahul had notched 393 runs at the strike rate of 161.72. Notably, he has been the highest run-getter for Sunrisers in this edition so far. While Samson, with his knockout batting, has scored more than 850 runs in the same period. A great majority of supporters are claiming that he deserved to be in the squad following his stellar season which places him as one of the best batsmen in the country. Not to forget, Samson’s amazing captaincy. He led Rajasthan Royals into the playoffs giving blistering performances one after another. Another player snubbed by the selection team is Shikhar Dhawan. So far, Dhawan has scored 460 runs from 14 matches in IPL 2022, compared to 587 last season and 618 the year before. Although he is still a part of the ODI squad, he is not included in the T20I squad.
Despite being ignored by the selectors for the upcoming series, Sanju Samson looked unperturbed in RR’s playoff match on Tuesday (May 24). Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Samson once again showcased his knockout prowess scoring much-needed runs in the Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans at the iconic Eden Gardens. Notably, Samson led his team from the front and played a blistering knock of 47 runs to provide a superb foundation for the middle-order batters to play their natural game on. He made two boundaries against Shami’s balls while smashed a couple of sixes in the sixth over, bowled by Alzarri Joseph, and took Royal's score to 55/1 at the end of the power play.
Undeniably, all these players are the master batters. Their non-selection brings major doubts about the brand of cricket India wants to play. Regardless, it is clear that the fans and supporters want to see these players playing their best in all the formats.
