'Deserved to be part of team': Ex Pak spinner feels Sanju Samson was a better option ahead of Pant for T20 WC

India on September 12 announced the 15-member squad along with four standby players for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 in October in Australia. There were no surprises in the squad, as the biggest boost was the return of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel from injuries

The two wicketkeeper batsmen who were selected in the 15-man squad were Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik. The biggest surprise definitely was the exclusion of Sanju Samson from the squad, as he didn't even find a place in the list of four standbys.

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has suggested that even through Rishabh Pant is a good player for ODIs and Tests, he shouldn't have been picked for the T20 side.

"India must keep their friendships aside and not pick players on that basis. Rishabh Pant doesn't look like a good T20 player. He is more suited to 50-over cricket and Test matches," Kaneria said on a video posted on his YouTube channel.

He also suggested that Sanju Samson would have been the better choice over Rishabh Pant in the T2o World Cup squad. "Sanju Samson could be a better option over Rishabh Pant. Pant's recent performances also haven't been that great and Dinesh Karthik is also already there in the team," he added.

Kaneria believes that the pitches in Australia will be better suited to how Sanju Samson plays. "Samson deserved to be a part of the team. He was impressive when India toured Australia in 2020. His hand-eye coordination is very good. The wickets in Australia would have suited his playing style. Pant is no doubt a very good player, but I don't think he should be a part of India's T20 team at the moment," he added.

Sanju Samson is not even part of the squad for the three-match T20I series vs Australia at home starting September 20. Danish Kaneria believes that the wicketkeeper-batsman from Kerala should have been selected for the series as he could have added a headache for the selectors.

"If Sanju Samson had been a part of India's squad for the Australia series, he would have surely performed well. This would have added more pressure on the Indian selectors as many fans have already been vocal about their displeasure over his absence from the T20 World Cup team," the former spinner added.