Veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has said that Sanju Samson has been selected ahead of KL Rahul in India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup although neither of them batted down the order in IPL 2024. The selectors recently picked the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 starting next month. While Samson and Rishabh Pant are the two wicketkeeper-batters in the 15-member squad, Rahul didn’t even get a place among the reserves as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “Two wicketkeepers have been selected. One is Sanju Samson and the other is Rishabh Pant. Either of them can play, let’s be fair. You assume Rishabh Pant is the first-choice keeper and the second is Sanju Samson. I felt KL Rahul might get selected. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had been selected and I am not surprised even if he hasn’t been selected because whoever would have been selected here, wouldn’t have played. Neither of them has batted down the order.”
ALSO READ: Kirti Azad welcomes BCCI’s new directive in central contract
However, Aakash Chopra claimed that the second wicketkeeper-batter’s selection, unlike Rinku Singh’s exclusion, wasn’t an injustice as well. Samson has scored 374 runs at a poor average of 18.70 in 22 T20I innings, with 16 of those knocks coming at No. 4 or below as well. He has also amassed 2265 runs at an excellent average of 37.75 in 68 T20I innings as well.
“Sanju’s T20 numbers are okay when he has batted down the order. KL Rahul hasn’t played down the order at all. He has only played down the order in ODIs. It was not really that it would be a great injustice based on whoever was picked. This was not a Rinku-type case. What has worked in Sanju’s favor is that he is playing well and you feel at times that he is repeatedly left behind, so please give him that opportunity. He plays with great freedom. However, if you see Rahul, he too is playing with freedom this year. The entire India is going to be happy for Sanju Samson because he is that kind of a guy. When he gets something, everyone feels happy from the bottom of their hearts. I also feel the same. So I hope he does well whenever he gets an opportunity,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
