IND vs AUS: Sanju Samson ignored by Ajit Agarkar despite career average of 55.71, two half-centuries in last 6 ODI innings

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India vs Australia ODI Series: The Indian selectors on Monday (September 18) announced the squad for the three-match ODI series against Australia, which is set to commence on September 22.

The ODI series with the five-time world champion side (in the 50-over format) is looked at as the final preparation for the Men in Blue ahead of the highly-anticipated ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, starting on October 5 in India.

The Indian cricket team - which is fresh from an emphatic victory in the Asia Cup 2023 over Sri Lanka in a lopsided final on Sunday (September 17) - is being considered as the favourite to win the trophy as the host nations have been winning the tournament since the 2011 edition, which was held in India.

In an interesting move, the selectors decided to rest several senior India players, including captain Rohit Sharma, vice-captain Hardik Pandya, and former captain Virat Kohli, for the first two games against a strong Australian side.

KL Rahul to captain Team India

KL Rahul, who showed signs of his expansive stroke play and immaculate skillset upon his comeback in the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, was named as the acting captain of the Indian side in Rohit Sharma's absence.

Furthermore, the selectors chose experienced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as Rahul's deputy for the initial games against the Pat Cummins-led Australian side - which lost 5-match ODI series 3-2 against South Africa in the latter's backyard despite taking a 2-0 lead in the first two games.

Indian ODI Team Vs Australia and Surprise Selections

A profound intriguing aspect of this selection process was the inclusion of young talents like Tilak Varma (5 runs in 1 ODI), Ruturaj Gaikwad (27 runs in 2 ODIs), and an out-of-form player Suryakumar Yadav (162 runs in 11 ODIs in 2023) in the 15-member squad for the initial matches against Australia.

Yadav's inclusion, despite his recent form, seems to be directed towards his preparation for the impending ODI World Cup, set to begin on October 5 in India. The right-handed Mumbai cricketer has scores of 4, 31, DNB, 14, 0, 0, 0, 19, 24, 35, and 26 in the year 2023. The right-handed batter - who is the number one-ranked T20I batter - hasn't been able to make a mark in the longer format.

The experienced off-spinner R Ashwin, alongside the talented all-rounder Washington Sundar, who was included as injured Axar Patel's replacement in the Asia Cup Final against Sri Lanka, also found his place in the 15-member lineup. Ashwin's inclusion marked another significant chapter in his journey towards regaining his spot in India's white-ball plans.

Sanju Samson Continues To Be Ignored

A surprising element, however, was the absence of the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter, Sanju Samson, whose name was missing from the lineup. Despite having an impressive average of 55.71 in 13 ODI games (390 runs) for India, Samson appears to have been unluckily left out.

This is not a new experience for Samson, who, despite scoring 3074 runs in List A Cricket, has often been the first player to receive cuts. This action has raised questions regarding the team management's confidence in the right-handed batter. In his last 8 ODI innings (a period between August 20, 2022, and August 1, 2023) Samson has scores of 43*, 15, 86*, 30*, 2*, 36, 9, and 51. Sadly these numbers aren't enough to impress chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, regular captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid.

Irfan Pathan, a former India cricketer, expressed his disappointment over Samson's exclusion from the ODI series against Australia. The former pacer took to his handle on X, formerly known as Twitter, to write, "If I'm in place of @IamSanjuSamson, right now I will be very disappointed..."

IND ODI Squad vs Australia: Team Management Questioned

The former India speedster-turned-commentator isn't wrong in his observation because Samson has been one of the unlucky few players who are first to get snubbed. The right-handed batter - who is also a captain of an IPL franchise - somehow fails to win the confidence of the team management every time and hardly gets a longer rope to prove his credentials.

Spectators and critics will debate the wisdom of excluding Samson from the team and the selectors' decision to rest senior players like Rohit, Hardik, and Kohli against a formidable Australian side at a time when key players should get as many matches as possible to stay in the rhythm ahead of the prestigious ODI World Cup.