IND vs SA 2022: "God save Indian cricket!" - Furious fans slam selectors for ignoring Tripathi & Samson in T20I squad against South Africa
Quite a few eyebrows were raised when the BCCI announced India's squad for the five-match T20 series against South Africa. While it seemed as though regular players KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant would be rested, they have been named captain and vice-captain respectively.
Moreover, there were some questionable selections like that of Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer. The trio haven't had quite the consistent IPL season with the bat and many were shocked that they were selected ahead of the likes of Rahul Tripathi and Sanju Samson.
Since 2021, Tripathi has scored a staggering 790 runs in the IPL and has shown great ability to shift gears, especially in the middle-overs. Sanju Samson has scored more than 850 runs in the same period and has played the role of a floater to perfection for the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Fans on Twitter were gutted to see the selectors sticking to the same old method of giving a number of runs more importance than the intent with which they are scored. They also slammed the management for ignoring the hard work of Tripathi, Prithvi Shaw and Samson.
Here are some of the reactions:
twitter.com/BCCI/status/15ā¦
Lolll. Samson dropped and V Iyer šš twitter.com/BCCI/status/15ā¦
And guess what? :) #INDvsSA twitter.com/sooryasesha7/sā¦
Largely a good squad. Would ideally like Shaw & Tripathi to get in the schemes as soon as possible, but it won't happen without the ones who did well in India colours failing in India colours, despite a poor IPL.
Good call to drop Shardul. And Ashwin is unlucky to miss out. twitter.com/BCCI/status/15ā¦
Just realised Rahul Tripathi hasn't been picked and it's extremely sad to say the least. He's done everything he possibly can to get an opportunity. Hoping he makes it for the Ireland games with Rahul Pant and Shreyas likely to play the warmup against Leics #IndvsSA twitter.com/BCCI/status/15ā¦
I heard Dravid sir is a fan of Samson and knows his value on Australian decks, a strong backfoot player š³š³ twitter.com/BCCI/status/15ā¦
Feel for Rahul Tripathi and Sanju Samson, both deserve to be part of the T20 setup. Two of them have been showing very good consistency with healthy strike rate in IPL in the last few years - hoping both will be part of the Ireland T20 series.
What's happening with Shaw, fitness concerns or why exactly he's not there twitter.com/BCCI/status/15ā¦
I wish there was a press conference...
The sad part is we may not see Shaw in T20Is until the current bunch is completely transitioned out, which may be long after this WT20.
BCCI has insulted all Punekars by not selecting Rahul Tripathi.
muje bas ye batado Venky Iyer aur Gaikwad lene ka kya matlab hai t20i team mei
How long till they appreciate the greatness that is Prithvi Shaw
Tripathi ka understandable hai š
But not Samson
Time for Sanju to score in the play-offs and do a Denesh Ramdin. Talk nah Chetan
Nice to see DK, Hardik, Arshdeep and Umran in the squad.
Puzzled by Venkatesh.
Disappointing with lack of Samson and Tripathi. twitter.com/bcci/status/15ā¦
No Samson? Are you kidding? twitter.com/bcci/status/15ā¦
No Sanju Samson in the T20I squad. Has a case over at bare minimum three players in that squad. There literally is no value for players playing high-impact knocks without big scores. No wonder a lot of capable hitters turn into anchors.
#INDvSA
Sanju had to be in this squad. Pretty sure he will replace Pant in Ireland but no reason not to pick him in both.
Some really exciting selections and well deserved ones along with some debatable ones as always. DK though, what a story. Hardik-DK clicking together for India will be a sight. twitter.com/BCCI/status/15ā¦
India's squad selection highlights:
- Arshdeep and Umran gets their maiden call for SA T20i series.
- No Samson and Tripathi in the squad.
- KL Rahul captain, Pant Vice Captain.
- Hardik and Dinesh Karthik returns.
- Pujara returns to India's Test squad.
Feel for Rahul Tripathi. Has been a consistent run scorer in the IPL for last few seasons and has done no wrong to deserve a call when seniors are resting. Hopefully he'll be there for the Ireland tour. Sanju Samson the other one who deserved an opportunity too.
Since last season, Tripathi has scored 790 runs @ 150.2 SR. No one has scored more runs than him at a better SR. Closest is Maxwell - 781 runs @ 152.8 SR.
What makes Rahul Tripathi's exclusion worse is the fact that he is not inconsistent either. He averages 31.6 and strikes at 150.19 in the IPL since 2021.
To put this into perspective, that's more than Rohit Sharma (24.96 at 124.33) and Virat Kohli (27.46 at 118.80).
#ShameonBCCI you guys deserve to lose wc if you select teams like that
ishan kishan strike rate 120
Ruturaj strike rate 110
Venkatesh iyer strike rate 107
Meanwhile from 2021
Rahul tripathi:- 790 runs 156 strike rate
Sanju samson:- 850+ runs 141 strike rate
@mufaddal_vohra Imagine tripathi scoring 100 tonight. Whole cricket twitter will burst out on selectors.
Until and unless India won't give chances to players like Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi in T20 cricket we will not do well in this format.
In T20 cricket you need intent merchants not every player should be anchor in your team.
@CricCrazyNIKS Some official really needs to publicly explain what Samson has to do in order to get a consistent run in the team and what Tripathi needs to do in order to be selected for the team
Rahul Tripathi is going through the same what SKY went through.
Reached the point that they had no idea what to do to get the maiden call up for the squad.
To not have Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi in the squad is just not acceptable. Both have had a good tournament, scored a lot of runs and in fact better players of pace than one's in there. Just baffling to not have them in the squad #INDvSA
Taking ruthuraj gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Venkatesh Iyer but not Sanju Samson and Rahul tripathi?! What the hell is this!
@BCCI @SGanguly99 twitter.com/BCCI/status/15ā¦
No Samson, no Rahul Tripathi. Pretty much sums up India's T20I approach, I guess.
More than Rahul Tripathi Sanju Samson's non-selection is shocking,
He is definitely btr than Ishan Kishan at this point of time r any time......!
Retweet if you think Sanju Samson and Rahul tripathi deserve to be in team india #EngvsInd #IndvsSA https://t.co/HymRxfDBQD
#BCCI #IndvsSA twitter.com/bcci/status/15ā¦No Tripathi but Venkatesh? š¬ #BCCI #IndvsSA twitter.com/bcci/status/15ā¦
Tripathi doing suryakumaryadav today
Don't know why Rahul Tripathi is not selected?.!Nothing but it's India's loss.!One of the best uncapped batsman in this season.!
twitter.com/bcci/status/15ā¦ https://t.co/8T9KLHcEbq
There was room for both Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi in the T20I squad ahead of as many as three players imo. But they got overlooked as usual. Samson should have been there at least, if not Tripathi. It's not like they are one season wonder after all.
#INDvSA
Runs & only sheer weight of runs determine T20I selections. Few like KL before & this season Hardik seem to be grasped & sorted it.
To see Eng so far ahead of most of them in LOI batting range & batting talent is perplexing. None of the major teams have adopted it consistently
If you have wondered why India haven't won the trophy since the 2007 edition, here's your answer. If you keep rewarding runs at mediocre SR, you are never going to dominate the format. It's really a pity this is happening despite hosting the best T20 league in the world. twitter.com/BCCI/status/15ā¦
And then we wonder why people play a less SR but look to score more runs. That's what gets them to the team. The wheel has to be broken. twitter.com/BCCI/status/15ā¦
Dinesh Karthik, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik get India call-ups
On the positive side of things, the selectors recognized the resurgence of the experienced Dinesh Karthik and have named both him and Hardik Pandya in the squad.
The 36-year-old has been quite vocal about his dream of representing India in at least one more World Cup, and this series will give him an opportunity to prove his mettle. Pandya has made a comeback after a significant absence caused by injuries. He has been batting at No.4 for his IPL franchise.
So it will be interesting to see whether Pandya bowls and also whether he is once again assigned the finishing role alongside Karthik. Umran Malik sent shivers down the spine of opposition batters with his searing pace this IPL season. The 22-year-old has been one of the finds of the season and will hopefully have an impact for India.
One of the most interesting inclusions is that of Arshdeep Singh. The left-arm pacer hasn't taken as many wickets for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) this season. But his incredible economy and ability to bowl yorkers almost at will at the death have been recognized by the selectors.
With the T20 World Cup just a few months away, this series against a strong South African side could go a long way in determining the future of a number of players.