3 players who can be replaced by Sanju Samson in India's Test squad

In the Duleep Trophy first-class game on Friday, September 20, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson scored his first century in just 92 balls while playing for India D against India B. At the beginning of a lengthy domestic season, Samson created a name for himself in red-ball cricket with his eleventh first-class century. Sanju Samson was not originally included in the Duleep Trophy teams, but due to an injury to Ishan Kishan, the Kerala wicketkeeper was substituted into Team D, which Shreyas Iyer captained. 

Meanwhile, during the ongoing 1st Test match against Bangladesh, India's top-order struggled heavily on the first day of play in Chennai. The team's success was solely down to the efforts of all-rounders Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Ahead of the upcoming Test matches, Sanju Samson may get a place in the squad due to his performance. Hence on that note, we take a look at which three players can be replaced by Sanju Samson in India's Test squad

Three players Sanju Samson can replace in India's Test squad:

3. KL Rahul

Although KL Rahul is a talented batsman, he hasn't been able to contribute consistently in Test matches. In the 50 Test matches he has played so far, he has averaged just 34.04, and his most recent defeat to Bangladesh, when he scored just 16, has further cast doubt on his future in the Test team. KL Rahul has a propensity to get trapped in the middle of the bat, which may be detrimental in challenging batting situations when it becomes harder to survive. Contrarily, Sanju Samson is an active player who scores runs fast and, like Rishabh Pant, is capable of using his strokeplay to eliminate the pitch from the equation.

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2. Shubman Gill

During the 1st Test against Bangladesh in Chennai the young India opener Shubman Gill got out on duck after facing 8 balls. Despite being the third-best batter in Test cricket, his average of 35.52 from 25 matches is fairly low. Though it is unlikely that he will be dropped very soon, Sanju Samson will be able to step in if that happens. Samson has strong technique against speed and spin and has experience batting in the top order in white-ball cricket. However, Gill has demonstrated weakness both against spinners and against an inward ball, so Samson has a solid chance of making it into the playing XI for the second Test and selectors choose to make a risky choice.

1. Dhruv Jurel

In his first Test series, the young wicketkeeper-batter showed excellent patience and technique and is undoubtedly the player for the future. After scoring two runs in the first inning of the Duleep Trophy match, Dhruv Jurel was not at his best and was awarded a golden duck in the 2nd innings. Conversely, Sanju Samson has been performing well lately in various settings. He has been outstanding overall despite failing to score in either of the two Twenty20 International innings against Sri Lanka. His century in the Duleep Trophy match has solidified his status as a strong candidate for the second wicketkeeper position.

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