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Concern has been raised about India batter Sanju Samson's absence from Kerala's Vijay Hazare Trophy team, particularly after his strong showing in the just-finished Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Instead, Salman Nizar was selected captain of Kerala's 19-man squad for the competition, which begins on December 21. Even if the team includes notable players like Mohammed Azharuddeen, Sijomon Joseph, and Basil Thampi, Samson's exclusion is still the most discussed choice.
Why was Samson not included in squad?
Due to his absence from the team's training camp, Sanju Samson was left off of the squad for the forthcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. However, three days after being listed in the 30-man probables last week, Samson did not show up for Kerala's brief camp, and as a result, he was not considered for the 50-over event. After two practice matches at Wayanad's Krishnagiri Stadium, Kerala named their 19-man roster on Tuesday night.
"Sanju had sent an email stating that he would not be available for the camp. The team had a short camp in Wayanad without him. Naturally, we only considered those who were part of the sessions for selection. There has been no further discussion with him on the matter," KCA secretary Vinod S Kumar told The Indian Express.
In addition to Samson, veteran Sachin Baby was not selected because of an injury he sustained during the SMAT campaign. "We will make a decision regarding Sachin's involvement after his recuperation period, which is scheduled to end on December 21," Kumar stated.
Samson played his final 50-over match while representing India in December 2023 while on tour in South Africa. India won by 78 runs thanks to Samson's first century, an undefeated 108, in the series finale. Samson holds a career-best 212* in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and is Kerala's third-highest run scorer (1,895) in List A cricket.
Kerala squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy
Salman Nizar (captain), Rohan S Kunnummal, Shoun Roger, Mohammed Azharuddeen M (wk), Anand Krishnan, Krishna Prasad, Ahammed Imran, Jalaj Saxena, Aditya Sarvate, Sijomon Joseph, Basil Thampi, Basil N P, Nidheesh MD, Eden Apple Tom, Sharafuddeen NM, Akhil Scaria, Vishweshwar Suresh, Vaishak Chandran, Ajnas M (WK).
