Is Sanju Samson in India’s 2023 World Cup squad?

Sanju Samson was present in India's list of reserve players for the Asia Cup 2023. However, the Kerala-based wicketkeeper-batter has missed out on a place in India's 2023 World Cup squad.

Despite having a batting average of more than 50 in ODI cricket, Sanju Samson is not a part of India's squad for the mega event.

Samson made his ODI debut for India in 2021, but he was not a regular member of the team. He managed to play 13 ODIs ahead of the Asia Cup 2023, aggregating 390 runs in 12 innings.

Samson recorded three half-centuries in those 12 knocks. His batting average is 55.71, while his strike rate has been 104. Looking at his numbers in the 50-over format, many fans expected him to feature in India's main squads for the 2023 Asia Cup and the World Cup, but he missed out on both.

Sanju Samson scored 51 runs in his last ODI innings for India

As mentioned earlier, Samson touched the 50-run mark thrice in his 12 ODI innings for India. One of them came in his last knock against West Indies on August 1, 2023, at the Brian Lara Stadium. Samson scored 51 runs off just 41 balls while batting at number four and helped India post a 351-run total on the board.

In 2022, Samson scored a brilliant 63-ball 86* in a losing cause against South Africa on a challenging batting surface at the Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Before that, Samson scored a match-winning 51-ball 54 and helped India chase down a 312-run target against West Indies at Queen's Park Oval.

However, Samson has lost the race to KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan, who are India's wicketkeeping options in the 2023 World Cup squad. Samson could now be added to India's T20I squad for the Asian Games 2023.