"Top session" - Sanju Samson sweats out in training after being left out South Africa series

Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson was recently seen sweating it out in training as he aims to get back into the Indian team.

Despite a successful IPL campaign, the selectors didn't consider him for the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa. They favored Ishan Kishan as the second wicketkeeper-batter after Rishabh Pant.

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper is using this break to hone his skills and keep himself in shape for the next assignments. Sanju shared a couple of photos from his training session where he can be seen having an open-net session.

Samson captioned the post:

"🏏❤️👌🏽 Top session @bellinturfcricketacademy."

Sanju was last seen in action during the recently concluded IPL 2022, where the 27-year-old led RR to the final. However, the inaugural champions fell one step short, losing to the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the summit clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

He also had a decent outing with the bat, amassing 458 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of over 145, including two half-centuries.

With several senior cricketers rested, many expected Sanju Samson to make the cut for the South Africa series, given that the management is auditioning for the T20 World Cup in Australia. His exclusion has left many surprised.

---

He will always threaten there - Ravi Shastri on Sanju Samson's chances of making it to T20 World Cup squad

Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri believes Samson will come in handy on the bouncy Australian wickets during the global T20 event later this year.

The 60-year-old was the coach of the national team when Sanju toured Australia for a few T20Is. While the youngster didn't play big knocks, he impressed with his wide range of shots.

Speaking on Samson's chances of being on the plane to Australia on ESPNCricinfo, Shastri said:

"(Short ball discussion) it will come into play in these 20 games. Between Tripathi, Samson, and Iyer, there will be opportunities now. But when you look at Australia, bounce, pace, cut, pull, Samson will always threaten there. For those conditions, he has more shots than any other Indian, to be honest."

Meanwhile, Samson is yet to make it big in international cricket despite his huge potential. He has scored 174 runs in 13 T20Is so far at a paltry average of 14.50.