(Source X)
On Thursday, the BCCI announced India’s squad for the upcoming T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the team in the three T20Is, while Rohit Sharma will captain in the three-match ODI series scheduled for August. Despite scoring a century in the last 50-over match against South Africa on December 21, 2023, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson was included only in the T20I squad, not the ODI team.
The decision to exclude Samson from the ODI matches and Abhishek Sharma from the T20Is drew criticism from Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor, who expressed his disapproval on X regarding the composition of the Indian squad for the Sri Lanka series.
In a tweet that is now going viral on the internet, Tharoor took a dig at selectors by saying that ‘rarely has success in Indian colours mattered so little to the selectors.’
“Interesting squad selection for India’s tour of Sri Lanka later this month. @IamSanjuSamson, who hit a century in his last ODI, has not been picked for ODIs, while @IamAbhiSharma4, who hit a T20I century in the #INDvZIM series, has not been picked at all. Rarely has success in India colours mattered so little to the selectors! Good luck to the team anyway #INDvsSL
Samson, who has accumulated 510 runs across 16 ODIs, found himself overlooked, with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant selected as the primary wicketkeeper-batters instead. Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma, known for his blistering century off 46 balls against Zimbabwe in the 2nd T20I on July 7, 2024, is understood to have lost his spot with the return of Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant to the T20I squad.
Pant notably batted at No. 3 for India in the T20 World Cup 2024, while Suryakumar contributed 199 runs batting at No. 4 during the prestigious tournament for the Men in Blue.
India’s squad for the ODI series against Sri Lanka: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.
India’s squad for the T20I series against Sri Lanka: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.
