Sanju Samson To Replace Shreyas Iyer In Team India For ODI Series Against Australia: Reports

India's star batsman, Shreyas Iyer, has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI series against Australia due to a back injury. Iyer had complained about the issue during the Ahmedabad Test match against Australia and did not bat in the fixture. According to reports, Iyer is also struggling to walk and may miss a few IPL 2023 matches where he is slated to lead Kolkata Knight Riders in the T20 league.

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There are those who said Jadeja and Axar will never play together for India, but that's happening now..
If Sanju replaces Iyer in the ODI playing XI, it will surely be considered as a second birth for Sanju. Let Sanju Samson do what Akshar did replacing injured Jadeja. pic.twitter.com/j8NlLYhOZT

— Jaammii.. (@Jaammiing) March 13, 2023

There were rumours that wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson might be called up to replace Iyer in the ODI squad. However, a report in The Indian Express suggests that the BCCI's selection committee won't be naming a replacement for Iyer. The selectors had named a strong 18-member squad last month, and the Men in Blue have many batters who can replace Iyer. Therefore, Samson will not be recalled in the ODI squad.

Samson was dropped from the ODI squad after the New Zealand tour and hasn't played a 50-over game since then. He retained his place in the T20I squad but suffered a knee injury during the first T20I against Sri Lanka in January, ruling him out of the series. He failed to make a comeback for the home NZ series as well.

Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav are likely to compete for a spot in the playing XI, with Rohit Sharma set to miss the first ODI due to personal reasons. Hardik Pandya will lead the team in his absence.

The three ODIs are scheduled to be played on March 17, 19, and 22 in Mumbai, Vizag, and Chennai, respectively. While Iyer's absence is a big blow to the Indian team, they have a strong squad with many batters who can step up and fill the void. The Men in Blue will be looking to bounce back after their disappointing loss in the Test series against Australia and put up a strong performance in the upcoming ODI series.

India’s updated ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), S Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (Vice-captain), R Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, W Sundar, Y Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Jaydev Unadkat