India batter-Keeper Sanju Samson trended on social media as Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl against Ireland in the first T20I at Dublin. It was Deepak Hooda who got picked ahead of the RR skipper, and the batter scored 47 crucial runs to take his team home, but Samson who last played a game for India back in February had to miss out. Nonetheless, the Kerala player did his best to cheer up fans as he posed for selfies with them.
#Sanju entertaining his fans, with his presence what if not asked to play match #INDvIRE ✅😅#Hallabol – tonight time for #TeamIndia wrap up 2:0🚩 hope 🌧️ doesn’t come to spoil 🙏#IREvIND #IndvsEng #HardikPandya #rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/Zl0eeVIGqq
— DaebakAnkita💃 (@DaebakankitaF) June 28, 2022
Samson led Rajasthan Royals to the final of IPL 2022, but failed to make it big with his bat. It was another season where Samson had sold himself short. In 17 innings including this knock, Samson has scored 458 runs at an average of 28.62 and a strike rate of 146.79 including a couple of half-centuries.
Meanwhile former India cricketer Ashish Nehra explained why Hooda was preferred over Samson in the first place. He said since Hooda was in the side already and didn’t play a single game against South Africa, he had to be picked earlier than the likes of Rahul Tripathi and himself as they came into the side later.
“No, it’s not a tough call at all. Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi has come in place of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. Deepak Hooda was already in the squad and even Venkatesh Iyer didn’t play a match against South Africa. And the kind of performance, Deepak Hooda did in IPL as he is one of those players who played for Rajasthan in Ranji Trophy, the whole season he scored runs, then in the IPL also,” he told Sony Liv’s pre match show ‘Extra Innings.’
“He started the tournament, playing at 5 or 6 (for LSG) and then he was promoted to number three and there also he did well. So his confidence must be high.”
“And it is good to see that he was in the squad before Samson arrived and he was backed before him. He is a sincere player and we know there are so many T20 games coming. And as we saw the squad was same in all five games against South Africa, he would hope that he is persisted with.”
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