3 reasons why Sanju Samson should've been picked in India's squad for the Sri Lanka ODI series
Team India have announced a 16-man squad for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which will commence on January 10 in Guwahati. The assignment will be preceded by three T20Is.
While he has been picked in India's squad for the T20I series, Sanju Samson has missed out on the 50-over contingent. KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan have been named as the two wicket-keepers, with Rohit Sharma returning as captain.
India's squad for the Sri Lanka ODIs: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, and Arshdeep Singh.
Here are three reasons why Sanju Samson should've been picked in India's squad for the Sri Lanka ODI series.
#3 Sanju Samson deserves a place ahead of Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav is India's best T20I batter right now, but he hasn't been able to produce similar returns in the 50-over format. He has four single-digit scores in his last five innings and only one 20-plus score in his last seven.
Suryakumar made a promising start to his ODI career, but his form has fallen off since then. The 32-year-old has found a myriad of ways to get out, with the most concerning being a susceptibility to Test-match lengths just outside the off stump.
India picked very few specialist batters in the ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series, and Suryakumar was rather lucky to make the grade. Samson, on the other hand, was not selected even though he deserved to be ahead in the pecking order.
#2 Sanju Samson has been given a highly difficult role while part of the side
Nine of Sanju Samson's 10 ODI innings have come at Nos. 5 and 6. In his only innings in the top order at No. 3, he scored 46 and is clearly more suited to the role. However, India have chosen to use him lower down the order.
The finisher's role has been tough to handle for all of India's batters over the last few years. Ever since MS Dhoni's form started to wane, the Men in Blue have tried to make do with a variety of names, most notably Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. But the duo have missed large portions of the ODI calendar year, and the responsibility has fallen on Samson due to the established nature of the other middle-order batters.
Samson has never gotten an extended run in the playing XI in ODIs. Even when he has, he hasn't been put in a position to succeed. India should've understood the same and given him more opportunities to present a case for himself.
#1 Sanju Samson's returns have been excellent
This brings us to our most important point. Although Sanju Samson hasn't been put in a position to succeed, he has managed to exceed expectations and produce consistent performances in a challenging role.
Samson has remained not out in five of his 10 innings, leading to an excellent average of 66. In five innings at No. 5, he averages 52 at a strike rate of 89.66. In four innings at No. 6, these numbers jump to 90 and 117.65, with his highest score of 86* coming at the spot.
Overall, in his ODI career, Samson has barely put a foot wrong. Perceptions about his consistency have clouded popular opinion, but the 28-year-old has always delivered the goods. He really should've been part of India's squad for the Sri Lanka ODI series.