SL vs IND: Sanju Samson suffers ligament sprain, doubtful for second ODI

Ahead of the first ODI between India and Sri Lanka, there were a lot of speculations about the Indian playing XI. With a plethora of youngsters to choose from, the selection wouldn’t have been easy for the management. Eventually, India went in with wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav in the middle order. However, the decision raised several eyebrows as Sanju Samson was ignored for the first ODI.

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Unfortunately, Samson not finding a place in the XI was a forced move as the Kerela batsman sustained a ligament injury and was not fit enough to play in the opening encounter. The news was confirmed by the BCCI who stated the medical team is tracking Samson's progress and the decision on his availability for the remaining matches will be taken later.

"Sanju Samson sprained a ligament in his knee and was hence not available for selection for this game. The medical team is tracking his progress at the moment," BCCI's media team informed.

Samson’s injury paved way for Ishan Kishan’s debut on his 23rd birthday. It’s a great opportunity for Kishan, who made his T20I debut for India against England earlier this year, to make a case for himself in India’s T20 World Cup squad.

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Mumbai batsman, Suryakumar Yadav is also making his debut in today’s game. Suryakumar getting his maiden ODI cap wasn’t a surprise as the right-hander has been in staggering form in domestic cricket. He is also one of the prominent members of the IPL champions Mumbai Indians. There was also some talk about who between Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will be preferred in the first ODI. Surprisingly, both the spinners were included in the playing XI.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka too handed an ODI debut to Bhanuka Rajapaksa. The hosts are having a torrid run in international cricket and the series against an inexperienced Indian unit is a great opportunity to salvage their pride. However, despite the lack of experience, India are not short on quality and will take some effort to pull down.

Talking about the 1st ODI, opting to bat, the hosts are 49-1 in 9.1 overs at the time of writing. Yuzvendra Chahal accounted for the wicket of Avishka Fernando on the first ball of his spell.

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