The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) official has revealed the reason why Sanju Samson will not feature in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He admitted that the goalkeeper was keen to play in the tournament, but he did not attend the camp, so 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 is all over the internet. He is one of the goalkeepers who could be in contention for selection for the eight-nation tournament which will be held on February 19.
Sanju Samson will not be given preference in the Indian team due to his absence from the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 – Reports
However, some reports suggested that preference would not be given to Samson as he did not feature in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy. It was reported that the goalkeeper has chosen to withdraw from the tournament due to personal reasons, and it could cost him a place in the Indian squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
However, in a dramatic turn of events, KCA secretary Vinod S Kumar revealed that Samson was keen to play in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy and even expressed his desire to play. But he stated that the right-hander did not attend the camp.
We thought of trying out the youth for them – the KCA official confirmed that Sanju Samson wanted to play VHT
According to him, Samson sent them a two-line mail because he was not in the camp. The official stated that even Sachin Baby was not available and with no senior players there, they decided to go with the youngsters. Speaking to Onmanorama, he said:
“This is to inform you that I will not be available for the camp. Sachin (Baby) was also unavailable due to injury. We were missing senior players. So we thought of trying out the young players in their stead.”
A KCA official stated that Sanju Samson contacted the federation ahead of Kerala's opening match of the Vijaya Hazare Trophy against Baroda on December 23 to confirm his availability. But he stressed that by then they had finalized the team.
He stated that it would be unfair to remove the young man and include Sanju Samson in the team. He added:
“But by then, the squad was finalized. It would be unfair to sacrifice a young player at that stage.”
Attending preparatory camps was not mandatory before – Sanju Samson was not happy that KCA did not select him
The same report said that Samson was unhappy about KCA not selecting him for the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He stressed that the goalkeeper always attended the camps, which was not mandatory before. He said:
“It was the norm for Sanju to join the Kerala camp when he was not away on national duty. Attending preparatory camps was not mandatory before.”
Various media reports have suggested that Sanju Samson will not be selected for the Indian national team, but instead, youngster Dhruv Gurel is likely to be selected. Rishabh Pant is set to be the first-choice keeper. Samson, so far, has scored 510 runs at an average of 56.66 in 16 ODIs. He reached a century in his last match played against South Africa in Paarl in December 2023.
