Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson found a place in the T20I squad for the upcoming 3-match series against Afghanistan, starting January 11. Samson returns to the T20I set-up for the first time since August 2023, while India have also picked Jitesh Sharma, who has impressed in the limited opportunities he has got so far. Samson and Jitesh are the two wicketkeepers named in the 16-man squad announced by the BCCI senior selection committee on Sunday, January 7.

The rub of green had not been going Sanju Samson’s way as he missed major ICC events in the recent past. However, the Kerala star has an opportunity to make his chance count in what will be India’s final T20I assignment before the T20 World Cup.

Ishan Kishan was a notable omission from the squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan. The Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper played against Australia at home after the ODI World Cup but was withdrawn from the Test squad for the recently concluded 2-match series in South Africa. Ishan reportedly requested the BCCI for a break due to mental fatigue with the cricket board mentioning “personal reasons” in its official release.

In the absence of Ishan Kishan, Samson has gotten an opportunity to return to the T20I set-up. Samson has not managed to find consistency in his T20I career despite his staggering numbers in the Indian Premier League. Samson has managed jsut 374 runs in 24 matches at an average of 19.68. In August 2023, Samson played 5 T20Is against West Indies and two against Ireland, but he managed just 73 runs across 5 innings.

Nonetheless, Samson made it count in South Africa, hitting his maiden ODI hundred in the deciding game. Samson hit a well-paced 108 as India won the series decider by 78 runs in Paarl.

The team management might give Jitesh Sharma the first preference for the gloveman role in the series against Afghanistan. He was immpressive in a home series against Australia last year and was also part of the T20I series in South Africa.

NO RETURN FOR KL RAHUL

Meanwhile, India have not considered KL Rahul for the T20I series against Afghanistan. The senior campaigner, much like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, has not played T20Is since India’s semi-final exit in T20 World Cup in 2022.

While the selection committee recalled Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the same treatment has not been given to KL Rahul, who has been in sensational form in ODIs and Tests in the recent past.

Notably, KL Rahul expressed his intent to return to T20Is after the successful tour of South Africa, in which he hit a Test hundred and led the ODI team to a series victory.

“When they ask me to do any job, I just tell them ‘keep me in the XI, wherever you want to play me, I will’. I want to play more and more matches. Unfortunately, because of injuries, I have missed a lot of matches, not just this injury, I have been injured quite a lot,” KL Rahul told Star Sports after India’s Cape Town Test win.

“Looking back, I am 31 now, but I have been playing since I was 22 for the country. But, if you look at it, I have not played a lot of matches. When Vijay and Shikhar were playing in Tests, and when Rohit and Shikhar were playing in ODI cricket, I had to wait for a lot of time. And when I got my chances, I got injured. So I have really missed out on a lot of cricket,” he had added.

Similarly, India have also not recalled the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar have been picked as spinners in the side.

Shivam Dube, the all-rounder, has also gotten an opportunity while India have retained Rinku Singh, the finisher, in the side.

INDIA SQUAD FOR AFGHANISTAN T20Is

Rohit Sharma (C), S Gill, Y Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, W Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.