Suryakumar Yadav shows Sanju Samson's picture from team bus; fans erupt in joy

The Indian cricket team reached Thiruvananthapuram ahead of their opening game of the three-match T20I series against South Africa on Monday, September 28. The Rohit Sharma-led side received a warm welcome on their arrival and the hosts are all set to square off against the Proteas at the Greenfield Stadium in the first T20I on Wednesday, September 28.

Fans turned up in large numbers to greet the team and were heard chanting Sanju Samson's name, who is a local hero and has played domestic cricket for his native state Kerala. Sanju has not been included in India's 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia next month.

Fans had surrounded the team bus and that's when an intriguing incident happened which has grabbed many eyeballs on social media.

Among the rousing chants, India's middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav took his phone out and showed Samson's picture to the fans standing around the bus while firstly, pointing his finger towards it (picture) and then giving a thumbs up.

The video has been shared on the microblogging site Twitter and it shows how amused is Suryakumar by the fans in Kerala and their rousing reception.

Samson was unlucky to miss out on World Cup selection and has not even been included in the reserves for the tournament. He played an instrumental role for the Rajasthan Royals in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) as their skipper. The 27-year-old led the side to the summit clash of the lucrative tournament but had to face defeat at the hands of the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans.

Samson is currently leading India A against New Zealand A in a three-match unofficial ODI series in Chennai. India A have taken an unassailable lead (2-0) in the series with the third unofficial ODI scheduled to be played on Tuesday, September 27.