Ajinkya Rahane Questions Sanju Samson's Omission From Zimbabwe T20I Squad: 'Find It Odd'

Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane expressed surprise over the omission of wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson from India's T20I squad for the Zimbabwe tour, saying he hoped the selectors had communicated the decision to the player.

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Sharing an Instagram Story, Rahane backed Samson and said he expected the wicketkeeper-batter to return to the national side soon.

"Hope there has been some communication with @imsanjusamson. Find it odd that the hero of our recent T20 WC win has been left out of the T20 squad to Zimbabwe. Hope to see him back in the team soon," Rahane wrote on his Instagram Story.

Rahane's remarks came after the announcement of India's squad for the Zimbabwe T20I series, which did not include Samson despite his contributions during India's successful ICC T20 World Cup campaign.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on July 6 announced the 15-member squad for the three-match T20I series, with Ashok Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh and Yash Thakur earning their maiden India call-ups.

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The T20I series between India and Zimbabwe will start from July 23.

India will play the 1st T20I on July 23, the 2nd on July 25, and the 3rd on July 26, all scheduled to be played in Harare. While Iyer will captain the side, Sooryavanshi keeps his spot after playing his first game for India during the ongoing India vs England five-match T20I series. Tilak Varma, on the other hand, will be Iyer's deputy.

India's Squad For Zimbabwe: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakaravarathy, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh (WK).