Sanju Samson, who had been in contention for a national team call-up, was not included in the Indian cricket team squad for the upcoming ODI series against Australia. This decision surprised some experts and fans, especially considering the rest given to big names like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in preparation for the Cricket World Cup 2023. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Prasidh Krishna were included, despite Gaikwad having Asian Games commitments, but India opted for KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan.
Following the squad announcement, Sanju Samson posted a cryptic message on his Facebook account, indicating his feelings about being left out.
In the virtual press conference for the squad announcement, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed that India would field two different teams for the ODI series against Australia. While key players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya were rested for the first two ODIs, India planned to have a full-strength squad for the third and final ODI, with Ravichandran Ashwin making a return to the ODI setup.
KL Rahul was named the captain and wicketkeeper for the first two games in the absence of Rohit Sharma, with Ravindra Jadeja serving as his deputy.
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Here are the India squads:
For the First two ODIs vs Australia:
- KL Rahul (Captain and wicketkeeper)
- Ravindra Jadeja (Vice-captain)
- Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Shubman Gill
- Shreyas Iyer
- Suryakumar Yadav
- Tilak Varma
- Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper)
- Shardul Thakur
- Washington Sundar
- R Ashwin
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Shami
- Mohammed Siraj
- Prasidh Krishna
For the third and final ODI vs Australia:
- Rohit Sharma (Captain)
- Hardik Pandya (Vice-captain)
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Shreyas Iyer
- Suryakumar Yadav
- KL Rahul (wicketkeeper)
- Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper)
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Shardul Thakur
- Axar Patel (subject to fitness)
- Washington Sundar
- Kuldeep Yadav
- R Ashwin
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Shami
- Mohammed Siraj