Right ahead of India's high-octane clash against Pakistan in the Asia Cup's Super Four clash, star wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has been released from Team India's camp, reported Sports Tak. This move followed KL Rahul's recovery from an injury, ensuring his spot in the squad once again. Consequently, Samson is set to make his journey back to India.
Notably, Samson was never an integral part of India's 17-member squad for the Asia Cup 2023. Instead, he was selected as a reserve player, specifically to step in if KL Rahul, who is marking his re-entry into international cricket post-injury, had any setbacks.
Before the fervor of India's opening bout against Pakistan in this key continental face-off, head coach Rahul Dravid conveyed that KL Rahul would skip the initial pair of matches in Sri Lanka. Rahul's minor injury setback prompted the selection committee to name Sanju Samson as an auxiliary player, supporting the primary wicketkeeper-batsman slot. Additionally, the team featured Ishan Kishan as another adept wicketkeeper-batter.
While Rahul's injury-induced absence was felt during India's fixtures against Pakistan and Nepal, technicalities ensured Samson couldn’t make the playing XI. He remained overshadowed by the in-form Ishan Kishan, who, in Rahul's absence, splendidly filled the no.5 slot. With a commendable 82-run performance and a streak of half-centuries in his recent innings, Kishan has potentially ruffled the certainty of Rahul's spot in the team lineup.
As Team India preps for its consequential Super Four match against longstanding rivals, Pakistan, KL Rahul's availability post-recovery is a significant boost. Rahul's recent injury ordeal began during an IPL 2023 match-up between the Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore. His journey since then, including surgery and rigorous rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), has culminated in his anticipated return to the cricketing arena. On the other side of the coin, Sanju Samson, the talented wicketkeeper-batter from Kerala, faces another setback, being left out of the coveted 2023 World Cup squad.
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