The Sanju Samson episode refuses to die down as calls for Kerala wicket keeper's inclusion in place of Rishabh Pant has seems to be getting louder day by day. The Kerala wicketkeeper was benched in the last two ODIs against New Zealand which India lost under the captaincy of Shikhar Dhawan.

Sanju was named in the playing XI for the second ODI in which he scored 30 odd runs but was dropped in the third ODI after the game was washed out due to rain.

Samson was preferred over Pant who has been out of form for a very long time. Sanju Samson who made his international debut way back in 2015 has only featured in 11 One Day Internationals and 16 T20Is for India so far. He is yet to represent India in Tests. However, he has been a regular feature in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals, and guided the team last year into the finals.

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has criticized the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as well as the selection committee for giving fewer chances to deserving candidates like Sanju Samson ahead of Rishabh Pant.

Kaneria also compared the ill-treatment meted out to Samson with veteran middle-order batter Ambati Rayudu. Rayudu was initially considered to be India’s number four batter for the 2019 World Cup in England & Wales.

. However, the MSK Prasad-led selection committee dropped him from the squad and instead preferred all-rounder Vijay Shankar.A gutted Rayudu then took a jibe at the cricket board and the selectors for selecting '3D' Shankar ahead of him before officially announcing his shocking retirement from international cricket. “How much can a player tolerate? He already tolerates a lot and scores wherever he gets the opportunity. We might lose a good player because he faces the torture of selection and non-selection in the team. Everyone wants to see his strokes in extra-cover, cover, and especially pull shots,” said Kaneria while speaking on his YouTube channel. “Ambati Rayudu’s career ended similarly. He scored a lot of runs, but he also faced zyadti (excessiveness). The reason is BCCI and the selection committee’s internal politics. Is there liking or disliking among players?,” he wondered.