After suffering a left knee injury in the opening match in Mumbai, Sanju Samson has been ruled out of the final two Twenty20 Internationals against Sri Lanka. The wicketkeeper-batter stayed behind in Mumbai for scans and a specialist’s opinion, and was advised to rest and undergo rehabilitation rather than travelling to Pune with the Indian team.
The incident occurred on Wednesday at the Wankhede in Mumbai as he attempted a diving catch during the first over of the Sri Lankan chase (January 3). He caught the ball, but after falling to the ground, he was unable to hold onto it. He continued to field during the game, but it is understood that he later experienced swelling, which prompted a request that he seek medical advice.
Jitesh Sharma, the 29-year old wicketkeeper-batter from Vidarbha, has been named Samson’s replacement. Jitesh made his IPL debut in 2022 playing for Punjab Kings. Jitesh played 12 matches, scoring 234 runs at a strike rate of 163.63, with a highest of 44. He also scored 224 runs in ten matches at a strike rate of 175 in the 2022 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
The fans once again witnessed an unfortunate exit for Sanju Samson from the international series as the bad luck follows the talented batsman.
Sanju Samson failed to perform in the 1st T20I as he scored only 5 runs off 6 deliveries and also missed the first catch of the match in Hardik Pandya’s initial over.
Later in the game, Samson continued to field and took some fabulous catches but ended up injuring himself.