Former national selector Kris Srikkanth has voiced strong criticism regarding the selection committee’s choice of Dhruv Jurel over Sanju Samson as the backup wicketkeeper for India’s upcoming three-match One Day International (ODI) series against Australia.
Srikkanth raised serious concerns about the fairness of the selection process, especially considering that Samson had impressively scored a century in his most recent ODI appearance against South Africa in 2023.
The controversy ignited following the announcement of India’s ODI squad for the Australia series, which is set to commence on October 19 in Perth. Jurel, who recently notched a century in a Test match against the West Indies, has been chosen as the second wicketkeeper, supporting KL Rahul.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s justification for Samson’s exclusion cited his role as a top-order batsman. However, this explanation appears to conflict with Samson’s established batting positions and his impressive performance history.
Samson’s ODI statistics clearly indicate that he has predominantly batted in the middle order. Across 16 ODI appearances, he has accumulated 347 runs in 11 innings while batting between positions 4 and 6, maintaining an impressive average of 57.83, including three half-centuries.
“Again, very unfair. Sanju should have been there, considering he scored a century in his last ODI. So, every day, the reason for change keeps shifting for each individual. One day you make him bat at 5, then another day you make him open,” Srikkanth passionately stated on his YouTube channel.
He continued, “Sometimes you send him at 7 or 8. How did Dhruv Jurel suddenly come in? Sanju may or may not feature in the playing XI, but he has to be given the first right of refusal.”
The selection committee’s recent decisions have sparked significant questions about the consistency of team selection and overall player management. Despite Samson’s notable century in his last ODI and his proven versatility across various batting positions, he finds himself excluded from the squad.
“By making such selections constantly, they are confusing the players themselves. Even though we aren’t sure every day what the selection will be. Suddenly, Yashasvi Jaiswal is there, and then the next minute he won’t be there,” Srikkanth observed, highlighting the unpredictable nature of selections.
He further commented, “By chopping and changing all the time, they’ll severely dent the confidence of the players.”
The announced Indian ODI squad for the Australia series includes Shubman Gill as captain, alongside players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.