New Zealand vs India Third ODI: Sanju Samson Left Out Again

Sanju Samson has been benched by India for the third and final ODI match against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

New Zealand vs India Third ODI, Sanju Samson Left Out Again: Veterans and analysts have questioned the reasoning behind Team India’s position on Sanju Samson during the current New Zealand tour, in addition to infuriating fans. Samson was sidelined for the entirety of the T20I series before being reinstated for the first game of the ODI series, only to be benched for the second and third games.

Dropped for Second Time in a Row

India captain Shikhar Dhawan disclosed that they are continuing with the same playing lineup that was used during the last game in Hamilton after losing his third consecutive toss and being asked to bat first.

This also meant that Sanju Samson, who played in the first ODI of the series against New Zealand before being benched after scoring 36 runs off of 38 balls, will continue to remain on the bench.

India Desperate to win the final ODI

The results for Team India were not favorable in this series as they were defeated by New Zealand with 7 wickets in the first ODI. While the second ODI was called off in Hamilton thanks to heavy rains. To tie the three-match ODI series, the Men in Blue now need to win this third game.

Danish Kaneria’s Comments

Former Pakistani cricketer Danish Kaneria, who has been critical of the Indian team. He has accused the BCCI and the team selectors of “internal politics” for their stance on Samson.

Danish Kaneria went on to compare Sanju Samson with Ambati Rayudu’s career saying “Ambati Rayudu’s career ended similarly. He scored a lot of runs, but he also faced excessiveness. The reason is BCCI and the selection committee’s internal politics. Is there liking or disliking among players?”

He further added by saying “How much can a player tolerate? He already tolerates a lot and scores wherever he gets the opportunity. We might lose a good player because he faces the torture of selection and non-selection in the team. Everyone wants to see his strokes in extra-cover, cover, and especially pull shots.”

T20 Skipper Hardik’s Commented on Sanju Samson’s T20 Opportunity

Samson’s situation was described as “unfortunate” by Hardik Pandya. Hardik led the Indian team in the T20I series against New Zealand. His exclusion from the starting XI was due to tactical considerations.

India’s Playing XI for the Third ODI

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umran Malik.