27 July,2024 11:51 AM IST | Mumbai | Rohan Koli
Sanju Samson. Pics/ AFP, Getty images
Sanju Samson has been in and out of the team since making his T20I debut in 2015. He was included in the T20 World Cup squad, but wasn't part of the playing XI in any encounter. However, he will be motivated after scoring 58 in his last and fifth T20I against Zimbabwe. Earlier this year, the Rajasthan Royals skipper impressed one and all by scoring 531 runs in 16 IPL-17 matches to end up as the tournament's fifth-highest run-scorer. The wicketkeeper-batter will be eager to put up a solid show and impress national selectors.
Critics felt Rinku Singh, who is rated as one of the best finishers, deserved a place in the playing XI during the recently-concluded T20 World Cup, but the left-hand batter wasn't even included in the 15-member squad. His poor show in IPL - 168 runs in 15 matches at a poor average of 18.66 - could be one of the reasons. He was out for a duck in the opening match of the recently-concluded T20I series against Zimbabwe but scored an unbeaten 48, 1 not out and an unbeaten 11 in his next three innings. He now has an opportunity to impress the new head coach and his former Kolkata Knight Riders's mentor Gautam Gambhir with his fearless approach.
Middle-order batter Riyan Parag's selection has been in question after being in poor form in the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. The all-rounder has been picked in both - T20Is and ODIs - against Sri Lanka. He had a below-par show against Zimbabwe, managing just 24 runs in three T20Is at a poor strike-rate of 88.88. But the selectors might have felt like giving him another go seeing his IPL-17 show earlier this year, where he finished as the tournament's third-highest run-scorer with 573 runs in 14 innings. He will be desperate to prove the critics wrong by putting up a superb show against the island nation.
Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed was added as a substitute in the T20 World Cup squad based on his IPL-17 performance but was able to make it to the playing XI after five years during the T20I against Zimbabwe earlier this month. He claimed three wickets in three games at a decent economy rate of 6.81. The pacer claimed 17 wickets in 14 matches for Delhi Capitals at an economy rate of 9.58. The 26-year-old will have to slog it out in the T20Is to impress the national selectors.
Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi was ranked the No. 1 T20I bowler days after winning the Player of the Match award in the home T20I series against Australia last December. However, it was surprising to see him not make it in the playing XI in an away T20I series against South Africa. The tweaker looked out of form in home T20Is against Afghanistan, claiming just two wickets in three games at s poor economy rate of 10.18. His average IPL form - 10 wickets in 14 games at an economy rate of 8.77 - didn't help him too. The leggie claimed four and two wickets respectively in the first two T20Is against Zimbabwe earlier this month, but went wickets in the next three games against the hosts. The 23-year-old will look to make the most of the opportunities he receives against Lanka.
