Sanju Samson was not included in India's playing XI once again on Sunday after being given an opportunity in the first ODI against New Zealand in Auckland. While he failed to put up a big score on the board with the bat, his 38-ball 36 was instrumental in his 96-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer which allowed India to cross the 300-run barrier. But skipper Shikhar Dhawan's decision to leave him out of the side in the second game left Indian cricket supporters fuming who went on to call it a curious case of โ€œfavoritismโ€ in the Indian camp.

The Indian team management faced severe flak for picking only five bowlers for the three-match series opener which they eventually lost by seven wickets after Tom Latham's 104-ball unbeaten 145.

That's why India decided to bring in Deepak Chahar and Deepak Hooda in place of Shardul Thakur and Sanju Samson for the second match in Hamilton.

โ€œInstead of Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar comes in and Deepak Hooda comes in place of Sanju Samson,โ€ Shikhar Dhawan said after the toss.

The decision, however, didn't impress Team India admirers who blasted Shikhar Dhawan for his โ€œhorribleโ€ move.

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This is not the first time that fans have been furious with the Indian management for neglecting Sanju Samson.

Even in the first match against New Zealand, Sanju Samson's supporters were critical of Shikhar Dhawan.

Most times, Sanju Samson isn't included in the side because of Rishabh Pant. While Rishabh Pant has established himself as possibly India's best wicketkeeper batter in Test cricket, he's yet to live up to his billing in white-ball cricket, especially in T20Is. That's where Indian cricket fans have been critical of the team management as Sanju Samson has often warmed the bench due to Rishabh Pant.

Sanju Samson's continued exclusion from the XI at the expense of Rishabh Pant has even been criticized by many cricket pundits, including Aakash Chopra and Saba Karim.

โ€œAs of now everyone believes that he (Pant) is a special player, extremely talented, is an X-factor kind of cricketer, but he hasn't lived up to the reputation in white-ball cricket thus far,โ€ Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

โ€œIn Tests, today also Rishabh Pant is not only India's but the world's best wicketkeeper-batter. Not many top-order batters have played more dynamic and impactful knocks than him, forget about a keeper. But the truth is that he has not done that good a job in ODIs and T20s considering the opportunities he has got,โ€ said the former India opener.

โ€œYou have made him the vice-captain currently. Now that you have done that, you will give him two more opportunities in the team. You will ask him to play but what after that? That is a big question,โ€ Aakash Chopra added.

โ€œGod forbid, if this series is also not good, Rishabh Pant is still part of the team for the next series, but after that the selectors will have to start thinking until when they can stick with him or if they should start moving in a different direction,โ€ he concluded.

On the other hand, Saba Karim suggested that Sanju Samson was not able to play the kind of cricket he's known for in the first match because he was batting with caution to cement his spot in the team.

โ€œSanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer are looking to cement their places in the side, which is why they were unable to play fearless cricket,โ€ Saba Karim said. โ€œThe players these days are very insecure about their places.โ€

โ€œThey should be given that confidence,โ€ Saba Karim added. โ€œWe will see a difference in their approach once they don't have that fear. When you are playing to save your place, you aren't trying to win games for your side as you are somewhat playing selfish cricket.โ€

Earlier, India allrounder Reetinder Sodhi advocated for the inclusion of Sanju Samson in place of Rishabh Pant and even went on to dub him as a โ€œliabilityโ€ which the team needs to shun as quickly as possible.

โ€œHe is becoming a liability for Team India. If it's like this, then bring in Sanju Samson. End of the day, you got to take that chance because you cannot afford to lose and exit in World Cup or ICC tournaments. When you give too many chances, problems arise. The time has come to provide opportunities to new guys,โ€ Reetinder Sodhi told Sportskeeda.

โ€œOnly time will tell how many opportunities and how long he gets. Time is passing and he really has to tighten his shoes. Everything has a limit. You cannot depend on one player for so long. If he is not performing, you got to show him the exit door,โ€ Reetinder Sodhi said further.