'Sanju Samson isn't given higher honours...': Kevin Pietersen's blunt 'has to be on T20WC plane' message to Ajit Agarkar

Kevin Pietersen wants Sanju Samson in India’s T20 World Cup squad

There was a report earlier this week that hinted at Sanju Samson staring at another World Cup denial with selectors to favour KL Rahul as Rishabh Pant’s backup for the ICC event in June. However, on Saturday, following his pyrotechniques at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, Samson seems to have tipped the scale back in his favour with veteran cricketers rallying for his inclusion in the T20 World Cup squad.

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen joined the bandwagon moments after Samson blasted Yash Thakur for the match-winning six in the IPL 2024 match against Lucknow Super Giants as Rajasthan Royals chased down 197 with an over to spare.

Speaking to Star Sports, the England great sent a blunt message to BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar saying that Samson has to be on that flight to the USA for the World Cup.

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“He has to go. There’s no doubt in my mind that he has to be on that aeroplane to the Caribbean and the USA in a couple of weeks. He is doing a lot with the pressure that he is also under as a captain and not being given higher honours. The way he scores runs and the situation he bats in, if I was the selector, he is one of my first picks,” he said.

In a season dictated by T20 World Cup discussions, Samson has aced the test with consistent batting performances for Rajasthan Royals that denied him to fall out of all the talks for the wicketkeeping position in the Indian team. On Saturday, with his unbeaten 71 off just 33 balls, comprising seven boundaries and four maximums, Samson took his tally to 385 runs this season, which included four fifty-plus scores. He is not only the leading run-getter among all Indian wicketkeeping options in IPL 2024, but also currently stands second in the race for the Orange Cap.

BCCI selectors and India captain Rohit Sharma are set to reportedly meet on Sunday in New Delhi to pick the T20 World Cup squad and the discussions around the two wicketkeepingh spots will take centrestage with Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul also emerging as strong options for the ICC event.

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