Champions Trophy 2025: Shashi Tharoor criticizes KCA for Sanju Samson’s omission
Xtra Time Web Desk: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has held the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) responsible for Sanju Samson’s exclusion from India’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The selectors opted for Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul as the two wicketkeeper-batters in the 15-member squad, leaving Samson out despite his consistent performances.
Tharoor alleged that KCA’s decision to drop Samson from the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 squad contributed to his omission from the national team. According to Tharoor, Samson had informed the KCA beforehand about his unavailability for the training camp ahead of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Despite this, the association excluded him from the tournament, a move that Tharoor claims has derailed the player’s career.
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The sorry saga of the Kerala Cricket Association and Sanju Samson -- the player wrote to KCA, in advance, regretting his inability to attend a training camp between the SMA and the Vijay Hazare Trophy tournaments, and was promptly dropped from the squad -- has now resulted in…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 18, 2025
“The sorry saga of the Kerala Cricket Association and Sanju Samson -- the player wrote to KCA, in advance, regretting his inability to attend a training camp between the SMA and the Vijay Hazare Trophy tournaments, and was promptly dropped from the squad -- has now resulted in Sanju's exclusion from the Indian team. A batsman who has a highest score of 212* in the Hazare, who averages 56.66 in ODIs for India (including a century in his last outing, against South Africa) is having his career destroyed by the egos of cricket administrators. Doesn't it bother the KCA bosses that by leaving Sanju out, they ensured Kerala didn't even reach the quarter-finals of the Hazare? Where does this leave him?,” Tharoor posted on his X account.
Samson, who scored a century in his last ODI appearance against South Africa in December 2023, has been in remarkable form. The 30-year-old averages 56.66 in ODIs, amassing 510 runs at a strike rate of 99.60 with one century and three half-centuries. He has also been prolific in T20Is, registering three centuries in his last five outings.
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Despite his numbers, the selectors prioritized Pant, who featured prominently in the T20 World Cup 2024, over Samson, leaving fans and experts questioning the rationale behind the decision.
