‘Band karo ye cricket’ – Fans upset as India bench Sanju Samson once again in 2nd ODI against New Zealand

Sanju Samson has been in the Indian team setup for a long time now but hasn’t been a constant in the Playing XI. Despite his consistent performances with the bat, the Indian team management has not shown complete faith in the star batter. This is also the case in the ongoing series against New Zealand.

Samson was included in the squad for the T20I and ODI matches as well, but he did not get a game in the T20I leg. He was given the opportunity to play in the first One-Day International (ODI) at Eden Park in Auckland, where he performed well. He scored 36 runs in 38 balls, with four boundaries in his innings.

However, he was dropped from Playing XI for the next game at Seddon Park in Hamilton. Deepak Hooda, the all-rounder, was given a nod ahead of Samson in the game. The Indian team management has now come under the radar for not showing trust in Samson’s skills.

Experts and fans alike have urged the management to give the wicketkeeper-batter a chance in at least 10 to 15 matches at a time. Twitter was fumed with the snubbing of Sanju Samson from the playing XI.

“Cricket craze gonna end here. Thanks to BCCI. from viru, yuvi to msd to sanju samson. Sanju is a victim of favourism running in bcci. Until it is stopped, I won’t be watching any matches of team India. Replacing inform batsman is ridiculous. No more tweets,” an angry fan tweeted.

New Zealand vs India 2nd ODI

As for the game, the Kiwis won the toss and asked India to bat first. Captain Shikhar Dhawan and his opening partner Shubman Gill got the team India to a good start, scoring 22 runs in 4.5 overs before rain interrupted the proceedings.

This is a must-win game for the Men in Blue, as a loss here means the series is over. Kane Williamson and Tom Latham’s brilliance helped the Blackcaps win the first game in the three-match series.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to Sanju Samson’s snubbing