Former chief selector of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), MSK Prasad, has surprised cricket fans by picking an Indian Premier League (IPL) star as an opener alongside Rohit Sharma for the upcoming One Day International (ODI) series against the West Indies. This unexpected selection bypasses young talents Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan.
With KL Rahul currently in rehab and Rishabh Pant recovering from a car crash, the Indian team has named Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan as the two wicketkeepers for the West Indies series. However, Prasad believes that Samson can even open the innings with captain Rohit Sharma.
Prasad stated, Suryakumar Yadav will spearhead the middle-order while Samson can also open the innings with Rohit Sharma. I don’t think there’s any competition between Samson and Suryakumar Yadav. The competition will be between Samson and a wicketkeeper-batsman.
While the possibility of Samson opening the batting for India seems unlikely due to the presence of Gill and Kishan, the selection of Suryakumar Yadav in the middle order is based on his recent performances. After a disastrous series against Australia in March, where he recorded three first-ball ducks, Suryakumar regained his form in the 2023 IPL edition.
Sanju Samson, on the other hand, has only played 11 ODIs for India and last represented the Men in Blue against New Zealand in 2022.
The ODI series against the West Indies is an important one for India, considering it is a World Cup year. The first two matches will be played on July 27 and 29 at Kensington Oval in Barbados, while the final match will take place at the Brian Lara Stadium on August 1.
In addition to Rohit Sharma and the potential opening duo of Samson and Gill, the ODI squad for the West Indies tour also includes Ruturaj Gaikwad as a backup opener. Other players in the squad include Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, and Hardik Pandya as the vice-captain.
It will be interesting to see how this surprise selection pans out for Team India, as they aim to strengthen their lineup and prepare for the upcoming World Cup.
