He has often been viewed as a backup option but gotten a new lifeline under Gambhir's regime
In a recent development coming in, an Indian T20 star is set to miss the upcoming third round of Ranji Trophy 2024-25.
Despite making himself available to play, dynamic batter Sanju Samson will be missing from the Kerala lineup, a Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) official confirmed earlier today (October 24), according to ESPNCricinfo. The 29-year-old, who recently slammed a sensational century against Bangladesh, had revealed that the Indian management asked him to play in the Ranji Trophy to be in the reckoning for red-ball cricket.
Samson will however miss out on Kerala’s upcoming Ranji fixture against Bengal from October 26-29 as he will be undergoing treatment for a mucus cyst on his lower lip.
He has chosen to undergo the procedure to ensure he is fully prepared for India’s T20I series in South Africa this November.
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The wicketkeeper-batter from Kerala, who debuted in T20Is in 2015 and in ODIs in 2021, has frequently been considered a backup choice for the national team because of his inconsistent performances.
However, under the new regime of Gautam Gambhir, Samson has gotten a fresh lifeline and the chance to evolve into an all-format batter. India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate also revealed that Gambhir has given a ‘long rope’ to Sanju Samson, implying that the batter will get the backing of the management in case of a few poor outings.
Kerala might thus have to make do without Samson in the longer run, at least for the time being, because he is likely to be picked for the T20Is in South Africa which begin on November 8 and end on November 13, rendering him unavailable for the matches against Uttar Pradesh (November 6-9) and Haryana (November 13-16).
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