Sanju
Samson has been included in the Indian team for the three-match T20I series
against Sri Lanka. He has been included in the team in place of Rishabh Pant,
who has been rested. His inclusion might come as a surprise to many, but chief
selector Chetan Sharma said ‘he was in the scheme of things.’

Also Read: Journalist insults Wriddihman Saha for ignoring calls for interview, Virender Sehwag reacts

“Sanju
is in our scheme of things. Most importantly we have to see which is a
cricketer who will be useful on Australian wickets. He is definitely in our
scheme of things (for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year,” he said
in the virtual press conference on Saturday.

Also Read: Everything changed so fast: Saha hits out at BCCI President Sourav Ganguly

Sanju
Samson made his India debut back in 2015. However, the 27-year-old failed to
cement his place in the Indian team because of a string of poor shows. He
represented India in 10 matches having amassed 117 runs averaging 11.70 with
his highest individual score being 27. He last represented India back in July
2021 when a second-string Indian team visited Sri Lanka. There too, Samson just
didn’t click. Now the Kerala cricketer will get a fresh opportunity as the
selectors picked him up for the three-match T20I series for Sri Lanka.

Also Read: Dravid suggested retirement: Wriddhiman Saha lashes out at coach on India snub

Samson
will look to make the most of the opportunities to prove his ability before the
T20I World Cup in Australia. India will look to improve their performance in
the ICC T20 World Cup after a poor show in the UAE World Cup.

Also Read: Been doing it for years: Rohit backs India star after Windies T20I series win

The T20I series
will be played on February 24 at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana
Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, and on February 26 and 27 at the Himachal Pradesh
Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala. The first Test will be played from
March 4 at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
and the second Test will be played from March 12 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium,
Bengaluru.