'Dube in Place of Samson Outrageous...Justice For Sanju': Netizens' Fiery Reactions to Exclusion of RR Skipper From IND Squad for SL Series

Kerala-based batter, Sanju Samson has been dropped from the ODI squad which has brought in widespread reaction from fans on social media.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced their squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka that is set to take place later in July.

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In his last ODI for India, against South Africa at Paarl, Samson managed to score a breath-taking century which allowed the Indian team to post a defendable score of 296.

But, it was found that veteran keepers KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant both made the cut, rendering Samson helpless.

Rahul, who previously took up the captaincy for India temporarily when India took on South Africa in an ODI series in late 2023, proved his mettle to hold his own with the bat as well, coming back from an injury to once again regain his form in the longer format, taking on the wicketkeeping role as well in India’s ODI World Cup campaign as well.

But, all the rage lately has been about a resilient and fiery Rishabh Pant, as the returning swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter made his mark yet again with an impressive outing in the IPL 2024 with Delhi Capitals, which inadvertently led to him being called up for the 2024 T20 World Cup, where India triumphed to bring home the grand prize.

Regardless, the internet did not take lightly to the exclusion of Samson, with fans fuming at the decision, demanding justice for the RR skipper.

Fans raised questions about the selection of all-rounder Shivam Dube, whose credentials in the ODI format seemingly does not stack up to that of Samson’s.

The decision seems to have confused even the likes of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who shared the same doubtful outlook on the decision yet wished the Indian team the best.

Samson’s attempts to dazzle did not stop with the ODI against South Africa. He also continued to showcase his class even in the Indian Premier League where in IPL 2024 he managed to set his best-ever season tally with 531 runs as he led the Rajasthan Royals to the IPL 2024 playoffs.

But still, it proved to be not enough to warrant an extended run for the batter, which has been the story for most of his career as Gambhir will likely look to hand over opportunities to younger players in hopes of building a side for the longer run.