Sanju Samson once again faced the axe from Team India's playing XI as Deepak Hooda replaced him for the second ODI against New Zealand on Sunday, November 27, in Hamilton.
After missing out on the T20I series earlier in the tour for the same reason, Sanju Samson got a chance in the first ODI last Friday. He played a decent 36-run knock in the middle order, helping India recover after a sudden collapse in the game.
Indian cricket fans were annoyed after learning about Samson's omission from the playing XI for the second ODI. They rightly pointed out that the management has been treating him unfairly, giving him chances sporadically, even in the absence of senior players in the squad.
They expressed their sympathy for Sanju Samson and extended their support to him by sharing memes on social media platforms.
Here are some of the best ones:
Second ODI ended with no result due to persistent rain after Team India snubbed Sanju Samson
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field first in the contest. Team India's openers started the proceedings watchfully in overcast conditions against Tim Southee and Matt Henry. They were 22/0 in 4.5 overs when rain halted the game.
The match resumed again after a more than three-hour break as a 29-overs-per-side contest. Shikhar Dhawan (3) perished soon after trying to up the ante.
Suryakumar Yadav (34* off 25 balls) and Shubman Gill (45* off 42 balls) then played aggressively and took India to 89/1 in 12.5 overs before rain intervened in the proceedings yet again. It remained persistent this time, as the umpires had no other option but to call off the game.
Speaking after the match was abandoned, Shikhar Dhawan explained the rationale behind their changes to the playing XI for this game and said:
"We wanted the sixth bowler to come in so that's why we dropped Sanju Samson and got in Deepak Hooda. With Deepak Chahar, we wanted to try him as well this series."
He added:
"He swings the new ball as well and we wanted one more swing bowler who can swing it both ways. We have players resting and some youngsters as well. It shows the depth we have in the side. We're confident about the boys."
India and New Zealand will face off in the third ODI on Wednesday, November 30, at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
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