Sanju Samson 'is having his career destroyed by egos of cricket administrators': Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor said Sanju Samson’s career is being ruined by the egos of Kerala Cricket Association administrators. Tharoor criticised the administrators after Samson, who missed the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Kerala, was not included in India’s squad for the Champions Trophy 2025. read more

Sanju Samson was not picked in India's Champions Trophy squad as he missed Vijay Hazare Trophy for Kerala. Image: PTI

Shashi Tharoor, the Congress Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, has slammed the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) for Sanju Samson’s exclusion from Team India’s squad for the Champions Trophy 2025. Tharoor blamed KCA’s decision to drop Samson for the Vijay Hazare Trophy as the reason behind the 30-year-old failing to find a place in the Rohit Sharma-led squad.

Samson’s last ODI for India was in December 2023 when he scored 108 against South Africa in Paarl. India hardly played any ODIs in 2024 but the right-handed batter has been in blistering form in T20Is, scoring three hundreds.

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Samson lost Vijay Hazare after skipping preparatory camp

Overall, he has 510 runs in 16 ODIs at an average of 56.66 for India but was reportedly dropped from the 50-over Vijay Hazare squad as he did not take part in the preparatory camp.

Samson was part of Kerala’s squad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 but opted out of the preparatory camp for the domestic 50-over tournament. However, he told KCA that he would be available for the tournament, but the board decided to overlook him.

KCA secretary Vinod S Kumar told Onmanorama that Samson wrote two emails to the board, stating his availability but he was not picked.

“But by then, the squad was finalised. It would have been unfair to sacrifice a youngster at that point,” Vinod said.

KCA is ‘having Samson’s career destroyed’

One of the most popular politicians from Kerala, Tharoor criticized KCA for ignoring Samson and accused them of destroying his 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,” Tharoor wrote on X.

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

“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?”

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In the absence of Samson, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have been picked as the wicket-keepers in India’s squad for the Champions Trophy 2025.

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