India vs West Indies 3rd ODI: Will Sanju Samson Get Another Chance Today?

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India will look to bounce back and seal the series when they face West Indies in the third and final ODI on Tuesday (August 1) at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad & Tobago.

Men in Blue, who had won the series opener in Bridgetown, Barbados, suffered 6-wicket loss to the hosts at the same venue with the visitors testing their depth as this is the last series before the Asia Cup and World Cup later this year.

Seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli sat out of the match after a busy schedule, handing Axar Patel and Sanju Samson the opportunity. However, the decision to rest the two seniors has earned a lot of flak after the disappointing defeat to a side that failed to qualify for the ODI World Cup.

Hardik Pandya led the side in Rohit's absence, while all-rounder Axar and wicketkeeper-batter Samson, who has often earned support from some section of the supporters to be given a chance, played primarily as batters.

Having put into bat, India got off to a decent start, but collapsed from 90 for no loss to 181 all out in 40.5 overs. Only Ishan Kishan (55), Shubman Gill (34) and Suryakumar Yadav (24) registered respectable scores.

Samson, who batted at number three, scored just 9 off 19 balls, falling to leg-spinner Yannic Cariah in the 25th over, while Axar came out at number four and contributed just 1 before being sent back into the pavilion by Romaria Shepherd, who found the edge that landed in Hope's gloves.

The 28-year-old from Kerala has often been overlooked, leading to fans frustration. And, had the opportunity to make one of the middle order spots his own, but failed to capitalise. Now, will Samson be given another chance to impress the captain and the selectors?

Will Samson play in India vs West Indies 3rd ODI?

With very limited opportunity available to test the depth ahead of the Asia Cup and World Cup, Team India may continue experimenting. But after the reaction to the last result, they may look to bring back the senior players Rohit and Kohli.

However, fans may argue that Samson has not been given enough chance like most others. So, it's very likely that another struggling batter Suryakumar Yadav may make way for one of Rohit or Kohli with Axar being the other one to sit out.

As the team sweats on KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer's fitness, the management may try a few more players for the middle order spot. So, that may grant the Rajasthan Royals skipper another crack at making an ODI spot his own.

Samson has so far played in 12 ODIs, scoring 339 runs, including two fifties, with a highest score of 86 not out and an average of 56.50. He has a good record in the 50-over format. In fact his only single digit score in the format was in the last game, but is unlikely to be a first choice pick for now.

With Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul ahead of him in the wicketkeeper-batter queue, Samson needs to displace one of the batters. This will only be realistic once the seniors call it a day and he makes use of all the opportunities he gets.