The long wait is finally over. After the suspense, the endless debates and discussions as to who should be picked and who should be left out, and who should be given another opportunity to prove themselves, the Indian selection committee has picked up the squads for the upcoming T20 series against South Africa, and the test against England. The team for the South Africa series has quite a few new faces, and also a few notable absentees.
While the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, and Dinesh Karthik have been rewarded with call-ups after their stellar IPL performances, the likes of Rahul Tripathi and Sanju Samson have missed out, in spite of the consistent performances they had with the bat, as well as captain of their franchise.
Here are three key players to have missed out on the Indian T20 team post-IPL 2022-
Rahul Tripathi
The omission of Tripathi comes as a massive surprise, with a vast majority of the fans believing that he should have been picked for the squad after a stellar performance this season sees him cement his claim as one of the best-uncapped batsmen in the country.
He was consistent throughout the tournament as well as in the domestic circuit and scored close to 400 runs for a rather dysfunctional Sunrisers side, which speaks volumes about his class and obvious talent. Many fans and experts have been taken by surprise due to this decision, but they believe that a call-up is not that far off.
Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson is another name who is conspicuous by his absence from the squad. What raises even more question marks is that the squad has a place for two keepers, but not a third?
Samson has been one of the most crucial batsmen for the Rajasthan Royals this year and has more often than not delivered for his side when it has been needed. His captaincy has also matured since last year, leading his side to the playoffs in just his second year as captain. This snub makes you wonder whether will he get any further opportunities or not.
Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan is another name that has been omitted altogether. One of the senior-most players in the country, he was the skipper last time around, when India decided to field multiple squads for multiple series. This time around, he wasn’t even considered, in spite of being a rather consistent performer for both club and country, whenever called upon. You have to believe that this snub is the final straw for him as far as his India career is concerned.
While the squad is a very balanced one overall, you can’t help but wonder what could have been if the above three players were also selected. They can only pick themselves up from this setback as of now, and keep putting in the hard yards, with the belief that a call up is just around the corner.
