The veteran Indian spinner, Harbhajan Singh took a dig at the Indian chief selector, MSK Prasad and his selection panel for dropping wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson from the squad for the upcoming series against West Indies. After the T20I and ODI squads were announced on Thursday, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor had tweeted “Very disappointed to see @IamSanjuSamson dropped without a chance. He carried the drinks for three T20Is & has been promptly discarded. Are they testing his batting or his heart?”
Responding to Shashi Tharoor’s tweet, Harbhajan wrote: “I guess they r testing his heart. #selectionpanelneedtobechanged need strong people there.. hope dada @SGanguly99 will do the needful.”
I guess they r testing his heart 💔 #selectionpanelneedtobechanged need strong people there.. hope dada @SGanguly99 will do the needful https://t.co/RJiGVqp7nk
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) November 25, 2019
Samson was included in the Indian squad for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh on the back of impressive performances in the domestic circuit, including a swashbuckling double-century in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match. However, he was not given a start in any of the matches and was then dropped for the series against West Indies.
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With Rishabh Pant failing to score runs consistently, there were strong calls to give Sanju Samson a shot against Bangladesh. However, the team management backed the left-hander throughout the series. However, he scored 27 off 26 in the first match as India slumped to defeat and could only manage six off nine deliveries in the third and final T20I. A Rohit Sharma blitzkrieg in the second game meant that he did not bat in the match in Rajkot.
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Pant’s performance behind the stumps also left something to be desired, with a series of errors and poor DRS calls. Pant was recently released from India’s Test squad during their just-concluded day-night Test against Bangladesh so that he could get some match practice for Delhi in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy.
India will play West Indies in three T20Is and as many ODIs. The first T20I will be played on December 6 in Hyderabad. The ODI series will start on December 15.
