Sanju Samson was left out of the Indian Games XI for the first T20I against South Africa in Cuttack. The decision surprised many fans as Samson is in good form and has two T20I centuries against the same opponent in his career.
South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Barabati Stadium. Soon after the line-up was announced, social media was buzzing with reactions.
Many fans quickly remembered an old story that Samson once told about Gautam Gambhir’s strong faith in him. Samson remembered a time when he was feeling down after two failures, and Gambhir walked up to him.
“He asked me what happened,” Samson had said. “I told him I had two chances, but couldn’t score. He said: ‘And then?’ and then added, ‘Only if you get 21 ducks will I drop you from the team.'” Samson said these words boosted his confidence and showed him how much Gambhir trusted him.
Because of that famous quote, fans were even more surprised to see that Samson didn’t get a spot today. Memes and jokes started flooding the internet, many of which were aimed at Gambhir, who is now India’s head coach.
One user wrote: “So the guy who scored two T20I centuries against South Africa the last time we played South Africa… now had to sit on the bench.”
A few others thought Sanju Samson deserved a chance because he was in rhythm and known to perform well against this attack. Some argued that the team wanted extra flexibility in the middle order or preferred a different wicketkeeping option for this match.
The decision has become one of the game’s biggest talking points. Fans will be hoping that Samson gets his chance later in the series, especially as India look to build a stable squad ahead of next year’s tournaments.
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