“How did Dhruv Jurel suddenly come in?” - Ex-chief selector slams selectors for dropping Sanju Samson from ODI squad for Australian tour

Former Indian chief selector Kris Srikkanth has slammed the Indian selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, for omitting Sanju Samson from the ODI squad for the forthcoming Australia tour, scheduled to start on October 19 Down Under.

Advertisment

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth asserted that Samson scored a century in his last ODI, and he should’ve been at least a backup keeper in the squad for KL Rahul. However, selectors have gone ahead with Dhruv Jurel as the back-up keeper in the 15-man ODI squad.

For the unversed, Samson smacked an exceptional century against South Africa in his last ODI in late 2023 before being axed from the next series. Srikkanth termed Samson’s sacking as very unfair decision by the selectors.

“Again very unfair. Sanju should have been there, considering he scored a century in his last ODI. So every day the reason keeps changing for each individual. One day you make him bat at 5, then another day you make him open. Sometimes you send him at 7 or 8. How did Dhruv Jurel suddenly come in? Sanju may or may not feature in the 11 but he has to be given the first right of refusal,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

On the other hand, the chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed the reason behind Samson not finding a place in the ODI squad. He reasoned that Samson usually bats in the top order, whereas players like KL Rahul and Jurel can bat lower down the order.

“It’s more (due to) position (that he’s not in the squad). I mean, Sanju Samson bats at the top of the order. I think when he got a hundred, I think he batted number three, if I’m not wrong. Jurel usually bats low down the order. KL bats there as well. You’ve seen how good a player Dhruv is. So again, you’re looking at spots. I don’t think there’s room at the top again. So we’re looking at guys who can fit in those spots,” Agarkar said.

“And obviously, Sanju at the moment in T20 cricket is batting there and we’re trying him there. But in one-day cricket, it’s a little bit different. So that’s basically the thought. It’s more the position than anything else,” he added.

Advertisment

While Samson has represented the Indian team in 16 ODIs, he has accumulated 510 runs at an average of 56.66 and a strike rate of 99.6 with one century and three fifties.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky247 India and download the Sky247 app to start betting today!