"Unreal favouritism for MI lobby" - Fans slam Indian think tank for benching Sanju Samson in 1st ODI vs WI

Team India's keeper-batter Sanju Samson didn't find a place in the playing XI for the ODI series opener against West Indies at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Thursday, July 27.

Ishan Kishan got the nod over Samson for the first ODI of the series. Samson's last appearance in the Men in Blue's 50-over team came against New Zealand in November 2022, where he scored 36 runs off 38 balls.

After a brief absence from the ODI team, the right-handed batter was recalled for the series in West Indies. It remains to be seen if will get a chance in the remaining two fixtures.

Following the announcement of the playing XI, several fans took to social media to express their displeasure over Samson's absence.

Here are some of the top reactions:

Post by @jinto_joseph_

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Post by @vaishnavivarshney11

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Notably, Sanju Samson impressed many with his batting exploits in ODIs last year. He featured in 10 games in 2022 and amassed 284 runs at an average of 71.00.

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Playing XIs for the 1st ODI between India and West Indies

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field first. Explaining his decision, here's what he said ahead of the match:

"We are gonna field first, no particular reason, just that we wanted to try a few different things and see where we are as a team. We want to head into the World Cup with a clear mindset. For us, the results are also important."

"At times, we are going to try out different players but we don't want to compromise on our results. All cricketers around the world who are playing all formats need to adapt well. Hopefully, we can get what we want here. We have got four seamers and two spinners."

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan(w), Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar

West Indies: Shai Hope(w/c), Kyle Mayers, Brandon King, Alick Athanaze, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Yannic Cariah, Dominic Drakes, Jayden Seales, Gudakesh Motie