In a fiery outburst, Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson's father, Samson Viswanath, has accused the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) of hampering his son's chances in the India national cricket team after he was snubbed for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
His emotional frustration came after Sanju Samson was shockingly left out of India's squad for the upcoming ODI series against England, as well as the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, due to his absence from the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy, India's premier 50-over tournament. .
Sanju Samson's father criticizes KCA after his son was excluded from the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy
Sanju Samson has been a consistent performer for the India national cricket team, scoring a century in his last ODI and T20I matches. But despite his impressive form, the Indian wicket-keeper-batsman has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, starting from February 19.
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Expressing his anger, Samson Viswanath claimed that some Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) officials were conspiring against his son and accused them of being an obstacle in Sanju Samson's way of getting the recognition he deserves.
Earlier, KCA had said that Samson had opted out of the pre-season camp, which is why he was not selected for the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, which played a major role in the Kerala star's omission from the upcoming prestigious tournament.
There are people within KCA who have something against my child: Sanju Samson's father
But Sanju's father claimed that it was already clear that the Rajasthan Royals captain would not be selected for the tournament long before the camp began. He believes his son's future in the game is unfairly jeopardized by personal grudges and politics within KCA.
“There are people within KCA who have something against my child. We never spoke against the association before, but this time it has become too much,” Mathrubhumi.com quoted Samson Viswanath as saying.
“Sanju is not the only one who did not attend the camp; however other players in the same situation were allowed to play. It is not about Jayesh George (KCA president) or Vinod (KCA secretary), but some junior people in between.” “Those who turn everything into poison over trivial matters.”
Viswanath also pointed out that KCA had previously denied an opportunity to his eldest son Sali Samson due to injury. He also recalled an incident of disrespect by the then KCA president, TC Mathew, when he requested leave for his injured son.
Samson Viswanath demands a fair chance for his son
Samson concluded by saying: “We are athletes, and we are not interested in the business of sports. All I want is for my son to have a fair chance to play. If there is anything wrong, we are open to discussion and ready to fix it.”
Notably, Sanju will next feature in the five-match T20I series against England, starting on Wednesday, January 22 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After this T20I series, the Men in Blue will play three ODIs against England and then travel to Dubai for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. However, Samson will have to shift focus to IPL 2025 where he will lead Rajasthan Royals, having been left out of the ODI setup in India .
