India picked Ishan Kishan instead of Samson in their playing XI for the first ODI.
India’s team combination was a topic of debate ahead of the game as key players like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah are missing this series owing to injuries.
In particular, the fans and experts were keen to know the Indian team management’s choice of wicketkeeper between Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan.
As it turned out, the visitors picked Kishan in their playing XI for the series opener even though the southpaw is a top-order batter and the opening slots are already occupied by Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill.
As per the team sheet shared by BCCI, Kishan is slotted to bat at No.4 followed by Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav. It remains to be seen in which position the left-hander actually bats during the game.
Sanju Samson may have been left out of the XI but he was part of the action, thanks to Suryakumar Yadav. Notably, Surya was seen fielding sporting Samson's jersey as cameras panned towards him in the first over of the match bowled by Hardik Pandya.
Netizens were quick to notice it and the screenshots of Suryakumar fielding in Samson's jersey went viral.
Here are the reactions: