'Jagah bhi to sanju ki khaye betha hai ye' - Fans react as Suryakumar Yadav spotted donning Sanju Samson’s jersey in 1st ODI against West Indies

Suryakumar Yadav fielding in the first ODI against West Indies (Source: Twitter)

Sanju Samson was left out of the playing 11 for the first ODI against West Indies on Thursday (July 27) at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. India picked Ishan Kishan as the wicketkeeper and handed Suryakumar Yadav another opportunity to flourish in the middle order, keeping the door shut for Samson. The Kerala-born cricketer has had an inconsistent run with Team India so far and the trend seems to be continuing.

However, fans were confused when they saw Samson's jersey on the field even though he was not announced in the playing 11. The camera panned towards the player in the first over of India's bowling innings, revealing that it was Suryakumar who was wearing Samson's No. 9 shirt.

The reason why Suryakumar wore his teammate's jersey was not disclosed, but it was understood to be due to logistical issues with luggage not arriving on time. Fans quickly noticed the rare moment as they shared the image on social media, reacting to it with a flurry of both serious and humorous comments.

Was it the only way for Samson to be part of India's playing XI?

Some fans believe that this is the only way for Samson to make it into the playing XI, while others point out that Suryakumar has snatched Samson's jersey along with his deserved spot. "These Mumbaikars just snatch the t-shirt also along with deserved spot," one user commented on Twitter. Another person jokingly said, "Underwear kiska pehna he surya ne?"

Fans' disappointment is understandable because Smason deserved to have been chosen before Kishan and Suryakumar. Kishan, however, grabbed the opportunity with both hands by scoring a half-century but his previous stats in the 50-over format, barring a double hundred against Bangladesh, is not impressive. Samson, meanwhile, has scored 330 runs in 11 ODIs at an average of 66, including two half-centuries.

On the other hand, Suryakumar has never really impressed in this format, scoring 433 runs at a poor average of 24.05 from 23 matches. The 32-year-old even registered three consecutive golden ducks in the last ODI series against Australia. Kishan often bats at the top of the order, but Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill have taken the opening slot. Therefore Samson is the best prospect to be India's first-choice wicketkeeper going forward.

Here's how fans reacted to Suryakumar Yadav wearing Sanju Samson's jersey in the first ODI against West Indies:

Surya apni jearsy dhona bhul gya to Sanju Samson ne use apni de di
What a kind gesture 🙌

— Desi Bhayo (@desi_bhayo88) July 27, 2023

These mumbaikars just snatch the T shirt also along with deserved spot 😢

— Nikhil Bhardwaj (@rkbnikhil) July 27, 2023

Undeserving SKY taking Spot & Jersey of #SanjuSamson !

I don't know On Which quota , SKY is playing

— Tanmoy Chakraborty🩺⚕️ (@Tanmoycv01) July 27, 2023

Only way for Samson to be in playing 11

— Hitman zindabad (@KrrishK43904676) July 27, 2023

Jagah bhi to sanju ki khaye betha hai ye

— ThakurSahab👑 (@ThakurAPSChauha) July 27, 2023

Underwear kiska pehna he surya ne?

— Test Crickket! (@Testcricket_43) July 27, 2023

Stealing opportunities, place in XI and even Jersey's

— Nischith G D (@Nischithgd19) July 28, 2023

ODI mein bhi Sanju samson ki jagah par ye golden duck khel raha hai 🙄🤐😫

— 🇮🇳꧁J̳D̳⚕️​𝚈𝚊𝚍𝚊𝚟꧂• (@PawanKu46242209) July 27, 2023

Atleast Samson's jersey is taking part in the field, feel happy

— Cricket Crazy (@CrazyinCricket) July 27, 2023

Surya bhi Sanju ki sympathy leke reach aur pr gain kar raha 😭😭😭

— Bully Bateman (@Baldaatisr) July 27, 2023