India, Sept. 10 -- Indian cricket is so rich in talent that breaking into the national team is not straightforward. Overlapping schedules make marginal selections look unconvincing. Every exclusion provokes strong reactions.

Sanju Samson's case is a classic example. Shubman Gill's T20I recall threatened to push Samson out of the eleven, although India accommodated the wicket-keeper batter in the Asia Cup tournament opener against UAE in Dubai on Wednesday. Will Samson, who appeared to belatedly find his bearings as opener with Abhishek Sharma, get a long rope?

Last month, it was Shreyas Iyer who was in focus after his omission from the Asia Cup squad. The in-form batter was also ignored for the Test series in England. Next week, he will...