Sanju Samson ruled out of the remainder of T20I series against Sri Lanka

Team India wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson has been ruled out of the remainder of the 3-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Samson hurt his left knee while attempting to field a ball near the boundary ropes during the 1st T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

He was taken for scans and a specialist opinion this afternoon in Mumbai by the BCCI Medical Team and has been advised rest and rehabilitation.

The All-India Senior Selection Committee has named Vidarbha wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma as a replacement for Sanju Samson.

Jitesh had a good season for Punjab last year in the IPL, where he scored 234 in 12 outings with a strike rate of 163.63. He had often played the finisher’s role for the team and was one of the 16 players retained by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2023 auction.

Jitesh also had a superb 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Vidarbha, scoring 224 runs in ten games at a strike rate of 175.00.

The injury to Samson might provide an opportunity for Rahul Tripathi to make his debut. Tripathi has travelled with the squad for a while but is yet to get a game.

India lead the three-match T20I series 1-0. India play the second T20I against Sri Lanka at MCA stadium in Pune on 5th January, 2023.

India’s updated squad for Sri Lanka T20Is: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar.