'Not the last time he'll go through it' - Robin Uthappa's brutal dig at Gautam Gambhir over Sanju Samson's ODI snub

Getting dropped from the team is disappointing for any player and getting dropped even after scoring a century is utterly disheartening and painful.

These are the kind of setbacks that could affect a player badly and Sanju Samson is probably going through a similar phase. The right-handed batsman was a shocking omission from India's ODI squad for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. While he has been included in the T20I squad, there was no place for him in the ODI squad.

In the last ODI game that India had played, Sanju Samson had scored a brilliant century in South Africa. It was a match-winning knock from the Kerala star in testing conditions. However, the knock was not enough for him to convince the selectors and the team management to retain him in the ODI squad.

Sanju Samson is not new to suffering setbacks and former India batsman Robin Uthappa believes the batsman could suffer even more in the future. Uthappa, however, decided against drawing any conclusion on the recent decision by the new management and called for patience.

"From Sanju's perspective, this is not the first time he has gone through it? I don't think it will be the last time he will go through it as a player, but Sanju's one-day numbers have been quite incredible.

"I think, again, with changes in leadership group or changes within the leadership group. Things have to kind of settle down a little bit and we as fans and supporters of the Indian cricket team have to give that space to kind of settle down as well," Uthappa said in a virtual interaction organised by the Sony Sports Network.

Sanju Samson is not out of contention: Robin Uthappa

While many believe that the latest snub is a big setback for Sanju Samson, Robin Uthappa has different opinions. The former India batsman stated that the Kerala batsman is still not out of contention for the ODI squad and will get his opportunity in the future. Uthappa also advised Samson to make those rare opportunities count.

"So, I think Sanju is not out of contention as with any other player. I think. It's a matter of time, and he will get his opportunity, but when the opportunities do come, he will have to grab those opportunities to make sure he steps up with solid performances that keep him in the running," said Uthappa.

Meanwhile, India's tour of Sri Lanka will get underway this month. The Men in Blue are scheduled to play three T20Is and as many ODIs in Sri Lanka. The T20Is will be played from July 27 while the ODIs will get underway on August 2.