'Hero Of Our Recent T20 WC Win Has Been...': Ajinkya Rahane Questions Sanju Samson's Snub

Ajinkya Rahane has joined the growing chorus questioning Sanju Samson’s absence from India’s T20I squad for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour, saying he hopes the wicketkeeper-batter was informed about the ‘odd’ decision before the squad was announced.

Rahane shared his reaction on Instagram after the BCCI unveiled the 15-member squad for the three-match series. Uncapped wicketkeeper Prabhsimran Singh was included in Samson’s place, even as 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was retained after replacing the Kerala star in India’s 11 for the second T20I against England.

“Hope there has been some communication with @imsanjusamson. Find it odd that the hero of our recent T20 WC win has been left out of the T20 squad to Zimbabwe. Hope to see him back in the team

soon,” Rahane wrote on Instagram.

Rahane’s comments come amid widespread debate over Samson’s omission. The Kerala batter was named Player of the Tournament during India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign, but was left out after a lean run of scores following the tournament.

BCCI officials have been speaking off the record to say that Samson has not been ‘dropped’ but just rested, to prevent a situation where he only sits on the bench while Prabhsimran gets the chance to open.

India’s squad for the Zimbabwe series includes two more uncapped players, Ashok Sharma and Yash Thakur, plus several newbies like Harsh Dubey and Mayank Yadav. That’s in tune with how the BCCI has treated tours of Zimbabwe historically as a nursery to test out young talent.

Samson can be hopeful because he’s still part of the Asian Games squad that’ll follow the Zimbabwe series. But, at the same time, regular skipper Shreyas Iyer is set to lead the side in Zimbabwe, while Tilak Varma has been named vice-captain, and Samson’s long-term opening partner, Abhishek Sharma, is still there, too.

The BCCI has yet to comment officially on the issue. The three-match T20I series will be played in Harare, with fixtures scheduled for July 23, 25 and 26.