India captain Shikhar Dhawan revealed the reason why talented Sanju Samson was not picked in the playing XI for the second ODI against New Zealand which was called off due to rain at Seddon Park in Hamilton on November 27, 2022.
India had come into this match to win it and equalize the three-ODI series after New Zealand thumped them soundly in the first match by 7 wickets in Eden Park, Auckland.
Sanju Samson had played a crucial knock of 36 runs in that match, as he and Washington Sundar helped the Men in Blue go past the 300-run mark. However, Tom Latham’s 145* and Kane Williamson’s 94* took New Zealand to a comfortable win and gave them a 1-0 series lead.
There was much uproar when Shikhar Dhawan revealed that Sanju Samson had made way for Deepak Hooda in the XI as fans on social media slammed the BCCI and Indian team management for dropping the Kerala batter-keeper for no fault of his own.
Team India was asked to bat first in the contest, and the rain first came down in the fifth over, and once the main resumed after almost three-and-a-half hours, the game was curtailed to 29 overs per side. Only 12.5 overs were possible with India's score reading 89/1. However, rain once again played spoilsport, and the play had to be called off.
NZ v IND 2022: Wasim Jaffer reacts to Sanju Samson's exclusion from India XI; gives valid reasons
After the 2nd ODI was abandoned due to rain, India captain Shikhar Dhawan was asked why the side decided to make two changes to their playing XI.
"We wanted the sixth bowler to come in, so Sanju Samson missed out and Hooda came in. And Chahar was picked because he can swing the ball really well, and in both directions," said Dhawan in a post-match presentation.
Further talking about the game, Dhawan said: "Not in our control, you just have to wait. We were waiting to get the game started, can't help it. Now looking forward to the 3rd game. I was quite surprised with the surface, I thought it would be seaming quite a bit, but it wasn't as much as the last match. It was good to bat on and to see Shubman perform this way was very encouraging."
"A few of our guys are resting but this side is still strong, shows the depth of our squad," he added.
Talking about leading Team India, Dhawan said: "Damn exciting, makes me feel so young (laughs). No, but seriously, this is a good opportunity for the guys travelling so far, to see the way Shubman has batted and Umran's bowling, glad to see that transition. As a team we want to get our processes right, and put on a good performance in Christchurch. Hopefully we can win and enjoy ourselves."
The third and final ODI between the two sides will be played on Nov 30th in Christchurch.
(Prime Video inputs)
