Indian batter Sanju Samson will not play in the remaining T20I matches against Sri Lanka due to a knee injury, the BCCI announced. Prior to the upcoming match, which will be played on Friday, January 5, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, Jitesh Sharma is expected to replace the batter.
Samson suffered a knee injury during the first T20I while attempting to gather the ball in the second innings. The batter has indeed stayed behind for scans to evaluate the severity of the injury, a BCCI source confirmed. The Kerala-born batter's 2023 season didn't get off to the best of starts with the bat as he only managed to score five runs off of six balls before being bowled out by Dhananjaya de Silva.
Samson remained in Mumbai to get some scans. Jitesh is indeed joining the group. He received compensation for his IPL efforts for Punjab Kings, according to a BCCI source.
After their thrilling last-ball victory in the first of the three T20I matches in Mumbai, the Hardik Pandya-led team currently leads the series 1-0 over the Islanders. The upcoming match on Thursday will be a chance for the Men in Blue to seal the series because they are riding a wave of momentum.