IND vs WI ODI Series: Sanju Samson recalled as KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer continue to miss out with injuries

Sanju Samson has finally made his return to the Indian ODI squad after he was recalled for the upcoming West Indies tour on Friday, June 23. Samson who had a fruitful Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 was not considered for the World Test Championship (WTC) final despite Team India struggling to put a proven wicketkeeper option. The selectors of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also showed faith in Ishan Kishan while long-term absentees include Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul.

Samson, Mukesh Kumar In

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In the squad announced on Friday, Samson along with Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, and Mohammed Siraj were called for the ODI squad as the selectors keep a close eye on the upcoming ODI World Cup in India. The selectors have clearly gone with the plan to have fresh blood in the veins as there was no place for veteran star Ravichandran Ashwin. The burden of the spin department falls on the shoulders of Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel.

On the flip side, despite pressure from some corners, Rohit Sharma has retained the captaincy duties while few sources have confirmed that he will remain captain until the ODI World Cup at least. Hardik Pandya will act as the deputy to Rohit, who yet again was successful in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Gujarat Titans (GT) as he led them to the final before losing to Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

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Playing XI headache

On the flip side, Samson will face competition from Ishan Kishan who had a productive 2022 and scored a double hundred against Bangladesh. He will also remain India’s wicketkeeper option ahead of Samson, while both can still play in the Playing XI. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shubman Gill remain untouchable options in the Playing XI.

The three-match ODI series against West Indies will start on July 27 to August 1.

India’s ODI squad:

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.

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