"Why him always?" - Dodda Ganesh slams selectors for picking Shivam Dube ahead of Sanju Samson for IND vs SL ODI series
Former Indian cricketer Dodda Ganesh has hit out at the men's national team's selectors for not picking Sanju Samson for the forthcoming ODI series in Sri Lanka. The 51-year-old took to his official handle on X and termed Shivam Dube's selection over the Kerala keeper-batter as 'ridiculous'. Samson is in the T20I squad though.
The 29-year-old delivered his most defining ODI performance during the tour of South Africa earlier this year. With the series going into the third and final ODI and both teams winning one each, it was the deciding game in Paarl. Batting at No. 3, the right-hander struck 108 off 114 deliveries with six fours and three maximums. The Men in Blue eventually reached a total of 296 and won by 78 runs.
Taking to X, Dodda Ganesh described how sorry he feels for the 29-year-old for missing out on these opportunities despite proving himself:
"Shivam Dube in place of Sanju Samson in the ODIs is ridiculous. Poor Sanju scored a century in his last series against SA. Why him always? My heart goes out to this young man."
Dube played his only ODI in 2019 and returned with bowling figures of 7.5-0-68-0 after scoring nine runs with the bat.
Sanju Samson played a match-winning knock in 5th T20I against Zimbabwe
Having not played in the first two T20Is of the five matches against Zimbabwe in Harare recently, Samson featured in the remaining three games. The elegant right-hander played a crucial innings of 58 off 45 deliveries with one boundary and four sixes when India were 40-3 at one stage.
The Men in Blue managed to reach 167 in 20 overs on the back of Samson's half-century and won by 42 runs. Meanwhile, India's tour of Sri Lanka begins with the three T20Is in Pallekele on July 27. The ODI series commences on August 2 in Colombo, which will host all three fixtures.