India World Cup Squad 2023: Suryakumar Yadav over Sanju Samson - Fans Unhappy With Kerala Star Exclusion

Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) chief selector Ajit Agarkar and skipper Rohit Sharma on Tuesday (September 5) announced the 15-member Indian provisional squad for the ICC World Cup 2023, which is scheduled to be held from October 5 to November 19.

The squad is almost the same as the Asia Cup squad with Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna and the travelling reserve Sanju Samson being excluded from the side. And some calls have triggered the fans, especially the preference of Suryakumar Yadav over Samson.

Moments after the squad was announced in a press meet, fans took to social media to question some inclusions and exclusions for the India World Cup Squad 2023. Many of course questioned why Suryakumar was added in the side despite his struggles in the 50-over format.

India World Cup 2023 Squad

Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj.

Some fans showed sympathy towards Samson, who has played well in the ODI format whenever he has got the chance, batting in different positions. Samson, who is primarily a wicketkeeper, was unlikely to be donning the gloves with KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan being the first picks.

But fans did not understand why a player, who has averaged over 50 batting in three different positions, was not picked over a player that's failed whenever he gets the chance. One fan used the stats to showcase Samson's performance, while one gave an option of who among Yadav or Samson would be a better pick. Here are some of the reactions:

Samson, who is currently in Sri Lanka as a backup for Rahul, is also not part of the Asian Games 2023 squad and one fan was puzzled with the decision to exclude the Kerala star.

Some fans even felt that Samson is not included in the squad due to politics, citing that he plays for Kerala in the domestic circuit and does not represent Mumbai Indians in the IPL, taking a swipe at Suryakumar Yadav's inclusion in the squad.

Samson has scored 390 runs, including three fifties with an highest score of 86 in 12 ODI innings, at an average of 55.71, while Suryakumar Yadav, who is considered as a game-changer, but failed to step up in ODIs, has so far scored 511 runs in 24 innings at an average of 24.33.

Suryakumar Yadav is unlikely to be the first choice pick in the eleven if Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are fit to play. He is being picked basically as a reserve player in the 15-member squad.