"Sanju Samson is always a scapegoat" - Furious fans slam Team India for benching Samson despite consistent performances

eam India have decided to leave out Sanju Samson for the second ODI against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday (November 27).

It seemed pretty clear after the visitors lost their first game that they needed an extra bowling option. Deepak Hooda was expected to come into the playing XI as he bowls a bit of off-spin and will give captain Shikhar Dhawan that extra option to turn towards.

Apart from Samson, there were players like Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav who could also have been dropped for Hooda. However, the team management decided to drop the Kerala batter and this has enraged quite a few fans.

They slammed the Indian team for not giving Sanju Samson enough opportunities consistently and dropping him despite being consistent in the ODI format. One fan wrote:

"Sanju Samson is always a scapegoat #INDvsNZ"

Here are some of the reactions:

Sanju Samson is always a scapegoat 😔 #NZvIND https://t.co/lRE3IGWCwb

Samson's fans to Shikhar Dhawan rn -
#samson #IndianCricketTeam #indvsnzlive https://t.co/QY1Qy5R6wM

@BCCI We want justice for sanju Samson

Sanju Samson is not part of playing 11 (2nd ODI INDvsNZ) but Pant is wow!
How to destroy the career of a player learn from BCCI
#INDvsNZ
#SanjuSamson
#Rishabpant

Sanju Samson's last 4 odi knocks :

86*(63), 30*(36), 2*(4), 36(38)

Surya Kumar yadav's last 4 odi knocks :

13(14), 9(8), 8(6), 4(3)

If they want to bring Deepak hooda, it's surya Kumar yadav who has to sit out. Not Sanju Samson.

Sanju Samson is an easy target now. #Samsun https://t.co/iS95XF4UUh

It is very harsh to be a sanju samson. Team management sucks again and prefer sky over sanju. #NZvsIND

Whoever may come and go in selection committee and in management but one fact is not going to change that Sanju Samson is not going to get play in full time squad,don’t know what he had done wrong in the chances he got
#SanjuSamson #Westandwithsanju
💔 twitter.com/criccrazyjohns…

Samson got replaced in 2nd ODI after a fairly decent performance in 1st one
This is totally UNFAIR 🤦‍♂️

#samsonWhy Sanju is not 🚫 selected?? We need answer BCCI selector. Why you are not giving chance to Sanju . #sanju #Castist_BCCI #samson #Dhawan https://t.co/EfVcqSSXoN

Understand why Hooda is being played, but Sanju Samson deserves a consistent run yaar. Just give him a decent run rather than these sporadic games. Has grabbed his chances this year in ODIs.

#NZvIND

Sanju Samson got the momentum going for India in the previous ODI, but gets dropped. He needs to have a consistent run that some others get #cricket #NZvsIND #NZvINDonPrime

It is really hard to be #SanjuSamson at the moment. Dropped, I know it's for the team balance, and I do find sense in dropping a player for someone who can roll his arm over. But pains to see Samson being benched. #INDvNZ

Sanju Samson has incredible numbers for Team india in ODIs

Although Sanju Samson hasn't been given enough chances in T20Is, he has been given the role of a finisher in ODIs when the Men in Blue have rested Hardik Pandya.

Coming in to bat at No. 5 and No. 6, Samson has already scored some handy cameos. He has amassed 330 runs from 10 innings, at a sensational average of 66.0. He scored 36 off 38 balls in the first ODI, providing some much-needed support to Shreyas Iyer and showed great maturity in the strike rotation.

The decision to drop him will likely spark a debate once again about whether Samson has been given enough chances to prove what he is capable of.

Meanwhile, India have got off to a decent start having asked to bat first and are 22/0 from 4.5 overs. Rain had stopped play at the time of writing.

India XI: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

New Zealand XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson.