Port of Spain: Malayalam player Sanju Samson has been included in the Indian squad for the Twenty20 series against the West Indies starting today. Although the BCCI has not officially announced this, Sanju has also been included in the Twenty20 squad on their website. It is indicated that Sanju has been included in the team as a replacement for KL Rahul who is suffering from Covid. Rahul’s name is not in the list.
Sanju was in the squad for the ODI series but was not included in the squad for the Twenty20 series. India swept the ODI Paramba 3-0 which ended yesterday. Sanju was to play in all the three matches.
Captain Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, who were not present in the ODIs, are available for the Twenty20 series. There are five matches in the Twenty20 series. Apart from Sanju, Pant and Dinesh Karthik are wicket keepers. So it remains to be seen whether Sanju will be included in the starting eleven.
If they reach the final of the Asia Cup, India will have 16 T20s before the World Cup. Coach Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma’s mission is to shape the World Cup team from this. Former captain Virat Kohli, who lost form, is resting. Kohli’s return to the squad will depend on the performance of the youngsters in the West Indies. Deepakhuda is a threat to Kohli’s position.