It wasn’t a happy return for wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson to first-class cricket after he managed just five runs for India D in their second-round match of the Duleep Trophy 2024 against India A in Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh) on Friday morning. Having walked into bat after the dismissal of opener Yash Dubey on Day 2, Samson dispatched a short delivery from fast bowler Aaqib Khan for a four to open his account.
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Aaqib though had the last laugh as he again tested the 29-year-old with a short delivery later on. This time, Samson went for a pull shot and miscued it to be caught by Prasidh Krishna near mid-on.
Samson wasn’t originally picked in any of the four squads of the Duleep Trophy but after Ishan Kishan was ruled out from the first round due to a groin injury, the Kerala cricketer replaced him in the India D squad. However, he didn’t make it to the playing XI with KS Bharat being preferred.
Interestingly, Ishan made a surprise return to the competition in the second round as he joined the India C squad before making the cut in their playing XI. And he made quite a statement with a sparkling century – 111 off 126 with the help of 14 fours and three sixes.
Samson will be hoping to make amends in the second dig though.
The wicketkeeper’s spot in India’s Test team was up or grabs in the absence of Rishabh Pant who spent a significant time away from competitive cricket while recovering from a car accident. India gave debuts to the likes of KS Bharat, Ishan Kishan and Dhruv Jurel in the meantime.
Ishan made a strong impression with a half-century on the tour of West Indies but later in 2023, he took a break from cricket citing mental fatigue. Earlier this year, when he skipped domestic cricket, BCCI dropped his name from the list of contracted players.
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