Sanju Samson has been benched once again, missing out on a spot in India's playing 11 for IND vs SL 1st T20I. His last performance for the national team, in the fifth and final T20I against Zimbabwe, saw him score 58 runs.
Under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant and Riyan Parag have been preferred over Sanju Samson for top-order batting in the India vs Sri Lanka 1st T20I. Following the announcement of the playing 11, fans on social media began labeling Samson as the 'unluckiest cricketer.'
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Check below possible reason behind Sanju Samson's exclusion from IND vs SL 1st T20I
Sanju Samson's absence from India playing 11 for IND vs SL 1st T20I is likely due to Rishabh Pant's return to India's T20 setup.
Pant, a regular in the squad, has consistently been ahead of Samson in the pecking order, even during the T20 World Cup and before his recent injury. With regular players returning, some irregular players, including Samson, are benched. Samson's irregular status is partly due to his lack of consistent performances when given opportunities.
India's tour of Sri Lanka signifies the start of a new era under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir. The tour includes three T20Is and three ODIs.
What captain Suryakumar Yadav said after the toss
After Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bowl first, SKY said: "It (the pitch) looks good and it is fine to bat first. The brand of cricket remains the same. The relationship me and him (Gambhir) have had for so many years is special. Dube, Samson, Khaleel and Washington are the four players to miss out. That (World Cup) is history, we start from scratch and it is a new challenge."
India playing 11 for IND vs SL 1st T20I: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Riyan Parag, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.