Team India named their 15-man team for the 2022 T20 World Cup with Rohit Sharma set to lead a high-profile squad in the mega event that will take place from October 16 to November 13 in Australia later this year.
India were given a major boost going into the event as Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel returned to the squad after missing the recently concluded 2022 Asia Cup due to injury. The duo took Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi’s place from the Men in Blue squad that took part in the continental showpiece event in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
After a year’s exile, Mohammed Shami returned to India’s T20 fold and will be among the four stanbys alongside fellow pacer Deepak Chahar, batter Shreyas Iyer, and spin bowler Ravi Bishnoi. While largely the squad was picked on expected lines, there was no place for Sanju Samson in the party travelling to Australia for the global event.
A day after the squad was announced ‘Sanju Samson for T20WC’ was trending on Twitter with cricket fans calling for his inclusion in the team. Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik are the two designated wicket-keepers in the squad and there was no surprise recall for Samson.
For years, Samson has been among one of the best young players in Indian cricket and showed his skills in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He led the Rajasthan Royals to the 2022 final which was their first appearance in the summit clash of the world’s richest cricket league since Shane Warne led them to the title in 2008.
Earlier this year, Samson scored his first T20I half-century against Ireland. While opportunities have been limited in the shortest format, he has impressed in ODI cricket on the tour of West Indies and Zimbabwe respectively. Samson is expected to return to the national team for the three-match ODI series against South Africa which will see all of India’s T20 WC stars missing as they are expected to travel to Australia early
