IND vs SL: Sanju Samson to miss rest of the T20I series due to knee injury, Jitesh Sharma comes in as replacement

IND vs SL: Sanju Samson, an Indian batsman, 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.

Suffering from knee injury

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 determine 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 pitches before being bowled out by Dhananjaya de Silva.

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Samson has stayed back in Mumbai

BCCI source confirmed, "Samson has stayed back in Mumbai to get some scans. Yes, Jitesh is joining the team. He has been rewarded for his performances for Punjab Kings in the IPL.” Jitesh Sharma, a Vidarbha wicketkeeper-batsman, has also been added to the Men in Blue's roster, and he will fill in for Ishan Kishan for the final two games. In addition, Samson's injury may provide Rahul Tripathi with the opportunity to make his debut for the national team.

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Team India hopes to win the series in the second T20I

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 against the Islanders. The upcoming match on Friday will be a chance for the Men in Blue to seal the series because they are riding a wave of momentum.

India’s updated squad for T20Is:  Hardik Pandya (c), Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Ishan Kishan (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Umran Malik, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar. 

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