The story of Sanju Samson feels frustratingly familiar. Another round of squad announcements, another omission. For all the talk of form, flexibility and future planning, the 30-year-old finds himself on the sidelines once again, this time left out of India’s ODI squad for the upcoming white-ball series in Australia.

It’s becoming harder and harder to justify why. Samson’s last appearance in the format came less than a year ago , in November 2023, when he struck a match-winning century against South Africa in Paarl. Performances like that are supposed to earn you trust, or at the very least a spot in the squad. Instead, Samson has been overlooked entirely — not even considered as a backup option.

The usual explanation about “middle-order balance” doesn’t really hold up either. Over the

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