KCA’s brutal decision to block Sanju Samson’s VHT bid kills Champions Trophy hopes

Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) official has revealedd why Sanju Samson didn't feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. He admitted that the keeper-batter was keen to play in the tournament, but he didn't attend the camp, and hence, they decided to give the youngster a chance.

With the Indian squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 yet to be named, Sanju Samson's name has been doing rounds all over the internet. He is one of the keeper-batter who might be in contention to be picked for the eight-nation tournament, which will be played from 19th February.

Sanju Samson won't be given preference in the Indian team for missing the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 - Reports

However, some reports suggested that Samson won't be given preference as he didn't feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. It was reported that the keeper-batter opted out of the tournament due to personal reasons, and it might cost him a place in the Indian squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

However, in a drastic turn of events, KCA Secretary Vinod S Kumar revealed that Samson was keen to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 and even expressed his desire to play. But he mentioned that the right-hander didn't attend the camp.

We thought of trying out youngsters in their place - KCA offical confirms Sanju Samson wanted to play VHT

According to him, Samson sent them a two-line mail for his unavailability for the camp. The official mentioned that even Sachin Baby wasn't available and with two senior players not being there, they decided to go with youngsters. Speaking to Onmanorama, he said:

"This is to inform you that I'll not be available for the camp. And Sachin (Baby) was also unavailable due to an injury. We were missing two senior players. So we thought of trying out youngsters in their place."

The KCA official mentioned that Sanju Samson contacted the association before Kerala's opening match in the Vijaya Hazare Trophy against Baroda on December 23 to confirm his availability. But he confirmed that by then they already had finalized the squad.

He mentioned that it would have been unfair to remove the youngster and include Sanju Samson in the team. He added:

"But by then, the squad was finalized. It would have been unfair to sacrifice a youngster at that point."

Attending preparatory camps had not been mandatory before - Sanju Samson was unhappy with KCA not picking him

The same report stated that Samson was unhappy with KCA not picking him for the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. He stressed that the keeper-batter has always attended camps, which weren't mandatory before. He said:

"It had been a norm that Sanju would join the Kerala camp when he was not away on national duty. Attending preparatory camps had not been mandatory before."

Various media reports have suggested that Sanju Samson won't be picked for the Indian team, but instead, young Dhruv Jurel is likely to be picked. Rishabh Pant is set to be a first-choice keeper. Samson, so far, has scored 510 runs at an average of 56.66 in 16 ODIs. He hit a century in his last game, which took place against South Africa in Paarl in December 2023.

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