He was tipped to feature in India's playing XI but had to sit out and warm the benches.
The Indian team is currently enjoying a sublime run in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, managing to win all three games they have played barring one washout fixture and in the process, have sealed a berth in the Super 8s stage of the tournament.
While the bowling attack delivered the goods on the tricky pitches of New York, one of the biggest positive in the batting lineup has been the runs off Rishabh Pant’s bat.
He is currently India’s leading run-scorer in the tournament and his promotion to the No.3 slot has helped India tremendously with the combination.
However, with Pant being promoted, there is one cricketer who was tipped to feature in India’s playing XI but had to sit out and warm the benches.
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Sanju Samson, who looked in explosive form in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) and subsequently earned his place in the India squad for the mega-event has been unfortunately left out.
Echoing on the same lines, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh said to Sportstar, “Rishabh Pant played at number 3. His role was completely changed. Before this World Cup, we were saying that Sanju Samson will play in the team because he has made big runs. To make Rishabh Pant play at number three is a big positive. Left-Right combination is formed when Rishabh Pant plays at number three.”
With three wins and an unbeaten streak so far, the Men in Blue finished as Group A toppers in the ongoing ICC event. After topping Group A in the T20 World Cup 2024, Rohit Sharma and Co will next lock horns against Afghanistan in their first match of the Super 8 phase on Thursday (June 20) in Barbados.
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