"At least send him to the Asian Games" - Robin Uthappa on Indian selectors ignoring Sanju Samson

Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa expressed his disappointment over keeper-batter Sanju Samson's non-selection for the upcoming three-match home ODI series against Australia.

Uthappa pointed out that Samson was overlooked despite having an impressive record in ODIs. He reckons that the selectors should consider adding him to the Asian Games 2023 squad since he is not in their plans for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

"I find it wrong to not have Sanju Samson in the squad. He has done well whenever he has gotten an opportunity in ODIs. Yes, he has been inconsistent in T20Is, but his performances in ODIs have been quite good. The justification would be that he won't be in the XI, so why keep him in the squad?" Uthappa said [6:54] in his latest YouTube video.

He added:

"But I think it is important to have continuity. In the case of Sanju, they haven't done that. He was in the reserves for the Asia Cup but wasn't picked for the Australia series. At least send him to the Asian Games. It is very normal to be dejected as a player when you don't get support despite doing well."

Samson has 390 runs to his name from 12 ODI innings at an average of 55.71. However, Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul seem to have piped him in the pecking order for the keeper-batter's role in India's 50-over team.

Uthappa also spoke about spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, sharing how the veteran spends a lot of effort on preparing well. He noted that the seasoned campaigner even played a One-Day match in Chennai after his selection for the ODI series against Australia, adding [2:55]:

"When Ravichandran Ashwin got to know that he was going to be in the squad for the series against Australia, he went and played a local One-Day match in Chennai. He pays a lot of attention to his preparation, and I think all great players do that. Players like Ashwin do so well because of how they prepare."

The first ODI between India and Australia is set to be played at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Friday, September 22.

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"Captaincy does affect his batting" - Robin Uthappa on KL Rahul

Team India's senior batter, KL Rahul, will lead India in the first two ODIs against Australia, with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya rested.

Robin Uthappa claimed that Rahul has been underwhelming as a batter when captaining a team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and also in international cricket. He said [1:23]:

"KL Rahul has been appointed captain for the first two games. Is it a good idea? It certainly is. But, his performances as captain haven't been very good. He has humongous potential as a batter, but the captaincy does affect his batting. We have seen that in the IPL as well."

Uthappa added:

"He was exceptional at the Asia Cup. The way he batted, his approach, his movements as a keeper, I think he has been exceptional. I feel like he will do very, very well in the games to come."

Rahul returned to international cricket with the recently concluded Asia Cup 2023 following an injury layoff. He looked in fantastic touch during the ODI continental showpiece. He finished with 169 runs in three innings, which included an unbeaten 111-run knock against Pakistan.