Indian cricket fans are buzzing with surprise over the squad selection for India’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka later this month. The 15-member ODI squad, announced by BCCI yesterday, saw the return of Shreyas Iyer, while wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson was left out of the team. Samson, who scored a match-winning century against South Africa in December 2023, was unexpectedly omitted from the squad for Sri Lanka, sparking discussion on social media.
Similarly, Abhishek Sharma, who impressed with a T20I century during the Zimbabwe series, hitting 100 off just 47 deliveries, has not been included in the squad at all.
Shashi Tharoor, MP and avid cricket enthusiast, expressed his astonishment at the selectors’ choices in a tweet: “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 Indian colours mattered so little to the selectors! Good luck to the team anyway #INDvsSL.”
Tharoor’s comments have highlighted the growing debate over the criteria used by selectors, with fans and pundits questioning the rationale behind excluding players who have recently demonstrated significant prowess.
The 33-year-old Suryakumar Yadav will lead a 15-member T20 squad for three internationals starting on July 27 in Pallekele. Shubman Gill, who recently led a second-string Indian side to a 4-1 T20 series victory in Zimbabwe, has been named vice-captain for both T20 and ODI matches.
The Squads:
T20I Squad: 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, Mohd. Siraj.
ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.
