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Sanju Samson's exclusion from India's Champions Trophy squad came as a surprise for many. Sanju Samson's recent batting heroics sparked speculations about his selection in India's Champions Trophy squad which was announced on January 18 via press conference. Meanwhile, during an exclusive conversation with Sports Tak, batting great Sunil Gavaskar explained the reason behind Sanju Samson's snub and why Rishabh Pant was preferred over him for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
Why Sanju Samson was ignored in India's Champions Trophy squad?
Samson, who made his international debut in 2015, hasn't been a regular in Team India's set-up. Despite his talent, he has been in and out of the squad, reason being his inconsistent form. But of late he proved his batting might by cracking two centuries in the T20I series against South Africa followed by one more in the outing against Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Gavaskar admitted that Samson has been unfairly treated by being excluded from the Champions Trophy, which will be held in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. However, he explained that Pant's selection was likely influenced by his superior wicket-keeping skills and his ability to be a game-changer with the bat.
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“Very tough because the man has been scoring hundreds and hundreds of runs. There is no excuse to leave him out. But he was pitted against Rishabh Pant, who we all know can be a game-changer. Plus Pant is a left-hander and he is probably the better wicketkeeper, although he might not be the better batter than Samson,” Gavaskar told Sports Today.
“Pant can change the game perhaps a little more than Samson and that’s reason why Samson missed out. But Samson must not feel dejected because all Indian cricket lovers will have sympathy for him for what he has achieved,” he further added.
Sanju belted two magnificent centuries in the T20I series against South Africa, 107 in Durban and an unbeaten 109 in Johannesburg, earning widespread praise from the Indian cricket community.
Talking about his ODI career, spanning 16 matches since his debut against Sri Lanka in July 2021, Samson has amassed 510 runs at an impressive average of 56.66 and a strike-rate of 99.60. He has struck one century and three half-centuries in ODIs. And surprisingly in his previous ODI outing, he hammered a century where he scored a brilliant 108 against South Africa in Paarl in December 2023.
India's ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja
India’s squad for ODI series against England
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja
