Samson vs Shreyas; Is India's Champions Trophy Selection Choice Justified?

Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer (Source:@CricCrazyJohns/X.com)

India's Champions Trophy 2025 squad is out and the selectors have taken some interesting selection calls. The likes of Mohammed Siraj, Sanju Samson and Nitish Reddy who were in line to make it to the 15, have missed out while India have gone with Arshdeep Singh, Rishabh Pant and an extra spin-bowling all-rounder in their squad.

There is lot of debate over Sanju Samson's non-selection in the Indian squad, but India have quality players in their arsenal, and someone deserving was bound to miss the flight. India's middle order will be more or less same as the 2023 World Cup with Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul forming the core of the middle order.

In this article, we will compare the stars of Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson in ODIs and see who has been more successful in the format.

Sanju Samson vs Shreyas Iyer: Who Has Better ODI Record?

Shreyas Iyer has been consistent in ODIs for a long time now and was one of the pillars of India's batting line-up in the 2023 World Cup. In the 57 innings, the right-handed batter has scored 2421 runs at an average of 47.47 with five hundreds and 18 fifties. Sanju Samson, on the other hand, has 14 innings at the ODI level where he has scored 510 runs at an average of 56.66 and has one century and three fifties to his name.

Thus, Samson has done well in his short ODI career so far, but the sample size is quite small compared to Shreyas Iyer who has delivered consistently in different conditions under pressure.

Shreyas Iyer also has played one ICC tournament (2023 ODI World Cup) where he scored 530 runs in 11 innings at an average of 66.25 with two centuries and three fifties to his name.

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Sanju Samson vs Shreyas Iyer At Dubai International Stadium (IPL)

Both the players have not played ODI cricket at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium where India will play their all Champions Trophy games. So, if we look at their numbers in IPL at the venue, Shreyas Iyer has a better record than Samson. The Mumbai cricketer who will led Punjab Kings in IPL has scored 320 runs in 13 innings at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium with an average of 29.09 and two fifties.

The Rajasthan Royals skipper, Sanju Samson has played 10 innings in IPL at the venue and has scored 226 runs with an average of 22.60 and one fifty to his name.

Conclusion

Looking at the stats, Sanju Samson has a better average in ODIs, but he has played only 14 innings which is quite a small sample size to judge a player. Shreyas Iyer, on the other hand, has lot more experience in ODIs, and has after 47 innings, his average is close to 50 which is quite commendable. Also, Shreyas did well in the last ICC tournament for India and overall has better numbers than Sanju in IPL at the venue where India will play their Champions Trophy games.

Thus, consistent performances over a longer period of time makes Shreyas Iyer's selection for Champions Trophy justified.

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