Kerala Cricket Association president has slammed Sanju Samson for missing the Vijay Hazare Trophy ahead of the Champions Trophy squad selection. (PTI)
Kerala Cricket Association president Jayesh George has slammed India batter Sanju Samson after the latter’s Vijay Hazare Trophy miss was considered to be among the key reasons he could not break into India’s Champions Trophy squad that was unveiled on Saturday.
After leading the Kerala team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in early December last year, Samson gave Kerala’s three-day preparatory camp a miss before the 50-over tournament. “Sanju had sent an email stating that he would not be available for the camp. The team had a short camp in Wayanad without him. Naturally, we only considered those who were part of the sessions for selection. There has been no further discussion with him on the matter,” KCA secretary Vinod S Kumar had told The Indian Express on December 18.
However, the camp’s mandate is under question after multiple players such as Abdul Bazith and guest star Aditya Sarvate were included in the VHT squad despite not featuring in the camp in Wayanad.
Following Kerala’s first group-stage match against Baroda on December 23, Samson had expressed his availability for the remainder of the campaign before Kerala decided to retain the original squad. “Sanju has updated us that he is available for selection over the last two days. We are yet to take a call on his inclusion. There is a full contingent already there in Hyderabad and only two games have been played,” Kumar told The Indian Express on December 26.
KCA president slams Samson
When asked on Saturday whether Samson’s Vijay Hazare no-show was a potential reason for his exclusion, George told MediaOne: “I am not sure if Samson missing the tournament was the reason he was excluded. The reason he was not added in the Vijay Hazare squad was because he sent a one-line text saying he would not be available for the 30-member preparatory camp. We were all of the impression that he would be leading the team since he is our white-ball captain and had led in the SMAT season as well.
“So we went ahead and announced the squad and later he sent a message stating he is available for selection. Be it Sanju Samson or any other player, KCA has a policy in place that needs to be respected. We all know that Sanju does not need a camp to come into the squad, but is the Kerala team one that he can come and represent only when he feels like? How did Samson reach the Indian team, it was only through the KCA. That doesn’t mean you turn up only when you feel like for the Kerala team.”
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
George, a former BCCI joint-secretary, also said that he was contacted by BCCI COO Hemang Amin on Saturday morning about Samson’s absence in the domestic tournament. “Heman Amin asked me if there was discplinary action taken against Samson that held him back from playing in the Vijay Hazare games. I replied in the negative and he wouldn’t have been up for Champions Trophy consideration had I suggested otherwise.”
George’s comments also came shortly after Congress MP Shashi Tharoor slammed the KCA for tarnishing Samson’s career. “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.
“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 wrote on X.
Despite the ODI team snub, Samson was recently named in the five-match T20I series against England, slated to begin in Kolkata on January 22.
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