The Indian cricket fans are buzzing with surprise over the squad selection for India’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka later this month. The 15-member ODI squad, announced by BCCI last day, saw the return of Shreyas Iyer, while wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson was left out of the team.

Samson, who scored a match-winning century against a formidable South African side in December 2023, was unexpectedly omitted from the squad for Sri Lanka. This decision has sparked surprise and discussion on social media. 

Similarly, Abhishek Sharma, who was impressed with a T20I century during the Zimbabwe series, hitting 100 off just 47 deliveries, has not been included in the squad at all. 

The decisions have not gone unnoticed by Shashi Tharoor, MP and avid cricket enthusiast. In a tweet, Tharoor expressed his astonishment at the selectors' choices: “Interesting squad selection for India’s tour of Sri Lanka later this month. @IamSanjuSamson, who hit a century in his last ODI, has not been picked for ODIs, while @IamAbhiSharma4, who hit a T20I century in the #INDvZIM series, has not been picked at all. Rarely has success in Indian colours mattered so little to the selectors! Good luck to the team anyway #INDvsSL.”

The reactions to Tharoor’s comments highlight the growing debate over the criteria used by selectors. Fans and pundits are questioning the rationale behind excluding players who have recently demonstrated significant prowess. 

The 33-year-old Suryakumar will lead a 15-member T20 squad to tour Sri Lanka for three internationals starting on July 27 in Pallekele

Shubman Gill recently led a second-string Indian side to a 4-1 T20 series victory in Zimbabwe and has been named vice-captain in T20 and ODI matches.

The Squads:

T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.

ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.