Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh reacted to Sanju Samson’s comeback for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa. Samson will want to grab his opportunity with both hands after missing out on the World Cup squad.
The flamboyant batter has scored 390 runs in 13 ODI matches at an average of 55.71 and a strike rate of 104. But the 29-year-old could not make the cut in India’s T20I squad for the series against South Africa.
Samson was picked ahead of Suryakumar Yadav after the latter failed to grab his chance in the World Cup, scoring only 106 runs in seven innings at a dismal average of 17.66.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan said: “There is Sanju Samson [in ODIs]. It’s good news. Wicketkeeper batter because he is always the topic of why Samson is not getting picked. I am happy to see Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, and Rajat Patidar getting opportunities. Deepak Chahar has made his comeback.”
On the other hand, the Turbanator added that there are a lot of flaws in the selection process as Yashasvi Jaiswal was not picked in the ODI squad despite impressive performances.
“Let’s talk about Yashasvi Jaiswal. He is not part of this team. I think he should be part of this team [ODIs] as well. [He’s] A quality and tremendous player. The team is looking at him in Tests and T20Is but not in ODIs. There are a lot of flaws (in the selection process) that I can’t fathom.”
The first ODI between India and South Africa will be played at the New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on 17th December.
India’s squad for 3 ODIs against South Africa: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (c/wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, and Deepak Chahar.
