India, Jan. 25 -- Team India's star wicketkeeper-batter, Sanju Samson, was not picked in the 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy last week. The selectors put faith in KL Rahul, seemingly the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in the ODIs, and Rishabh Pant for the tournament; Pant made his return to the fifty-over format last week during the series against Sri Lanka.

Samson's last ODI appearance was in December 2023 during the away series against South Africa; at the time, Pant was still recovering from the injuries sustained in a car accident. However, Samson was dropped in the 2024 series against Sri Lanka, with Pant making a return to the format.

Interestingly, the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter averages over 56 in 16 ODIs so far, and ...