'He will be in thick of things': Sourav Ganguly hints Sanju Samson will play ODI series against South Africa

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly has dropped a major hint that Kerala batter Sanju Samson will be playing in the upcoming ODIs against South Africa. The three-match series begins on 6 October and the squad for the same has not been named yet.

“He [Samson] is playing well. He is there, and he played for India. He just missed the World Cup. I’m sure he will be in the thick of things. I think he is playing the One-Days against South Africa also. He is around. He does well for his franchise in the IPL [Rajasthan Royals]. He is the captain. He has done very well for himself,” Ganguly told journalists ahead of first India vs South Africa T20I Thiruvananthapuram.

The former India captain also added that Kerala possesses a lot of cricketing talent.

“I believe he is from Trivandrum. You [Trivandrum] have a lot of good players. Rohan Kunnummal got three centuries during the last Ranji Trophy. There’s a lot of talent in this part. Basil Thampi is also from here. So, a lot of talents in Kerala. It is no more a football-only state,” added Ganguly.

Samson, who has 296 runs to his name in 16 T20Is, was last part of the India squad in the shortest format in August against West Indies but was not selected for the upcoming World Cup.

Meanwhile, India blanked South Africa by eight wickets in the first T20I at Thiruvananthapuram to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

After Proteas were restricted to 106 on a tricky surface, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav slammed unbeaten fifties to take India home in 16.4 overs.

Watch: Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar run through South African top-order

The second match of the series will be played in Guwahati on 2 October.

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