“Years change, Captains change, Formats change, but Samson getting dropped never changes” – Twitterati fume as wicketkeeper finds himself on the bench yet again

Team India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson once again failed to break into the playing XI for the second T20I against New Zealand on Sunday, November 20. The Men in Blue preferred the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Hooda in the middle order, with Rishabh Pant likely to open the innings.

Samson’s last T20I appearance came during the tour of the West Indies in August 2022. He failed to make it to the 2022 Asia Cup as well as the T20 World Cup 2022 squads. After playing the ODI series against South Africa a couple of months ago, he plied his trade for Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy.

The talented batter has had it tough of late to break into India’s playing XI due to the overwhelming talent at their disposal. However, with a second-string side touring New Zealand, Samson was expected to play a prominent role in the middle order against the Kiwis.

Fuming at the prospect of Samson not being selected yet again, fans vented their frustration on Twitter. Here are some of the reactions on the social media platform:

Shame on you BCCI. Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! Playing with emotions of Indians! Torturing Sanju Samson! You have no right to play with country’s name in international arena like this. #sanjusamson You deserved a better country! ????
@BCCI @IamSanjuSamson @IrfanPathan

Shame on you BCCI. Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! Playing with emotions of Indians! Torturing Sanju Samson! You have no right to play with country’s name in international arena like this. #sanjusamson You deserved a better country! ????????@BCCI @IamSanjuSamson @IrfanPathan

India asked to bowl first by New Zealand in the second T20I

Despite the looming threat of rain marring the second T20I in Mount Maunganui, the weather gods have been kind so far, allowing the contest to begin on time.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson opted to bowl first despite the dominant record of teams who have batted first at the venue over the years. The absence of Trent Boult has forced the Blackcaps to make a change in their playing XI. Right-arm pacer Adam Milne makes it into the side, with the remainder of the team being the same one that played the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final against Pakistan.

India, on the other hand, opted not to throw Shubman Gill into the mix, meaning that he will have to wait for his debut. Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, and Suryakumar Yadav constitute the middle order. The absence of Dinesh Karthik and the promotion of Rishabh Pant puts stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya a bit lower down the order.