Sanju Samson pulls aside Kuldeep Yadav to meet Kerala fans after Ranji Trophy match against UP

Sanju Samson was spotted interacting with fans in Kerala during the Ranji Trophy match between Kerala and Uttar Pradesh at the Sanatana Dharma College Ground in Alappuzha. The Kerala captain acknowledged the love of the fans in his hometown by signing autographs and clicking pictures with them. 

A video of Samson has gone viral on social media where the 29-year-old was seen taking veteran spinner Kuldeep Yadav near the boundary side. Kuldeep is part of the Uttar Pradesh squad in the ongoing premier domestic competition.

Watch the video:

In terms of the game, Uttar Pradesh batted first and scored 302 while Kerala were bundled out for 243 in 74 overs in the second innings. UP then declared at 323 runs in the third innings, with captain Aryan Juyal (115) and Priyam Garg (106) scoring centuries. Kerala reached 72 for two while chasing the 383-run target when the match was called off. The first-innings lead helped UP to secure three points while Kerala earned only one point. Batting at number 7, Samson scored 35 (46) in Kerala's first innings before being dismissed by Yash Dayal. Kuldeep, on the other hand, picked up a total of four wickets across two innings.

Sanju Samson included in India's T20I squad for the upcoming series versus Afghanistan

After continuously being snubbed from India's white-ball squad, Sanju Samson earned a spot in the forthcoming home T20I series against Afghanistan. Samson and Jitesh Sharma were opted as wicketkeepers in the squad, ahead of Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul. He was included in the squad following a match-winning century in the third and final ODI against South Africa at Boland Park in December last year. The 29-year-old's 108 off 114 deliveries, guided India to secure a convincing 78-run win to wrap up the series 2-1.

Team India squad for Afghanistan series: Rohit Sharma (C), S Gill, Y Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, W Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.