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India on Saturday, January 18 announced 15-member preliminary squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, set to be played in February-March in Pakistan and the UAE. While the side will be led by Rohit Sharma, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson was one of the notable miss, despite his numbers speaking for himself.
While some speculate that Sanju Samson’s snub comes after he was excluded from Kerala’s Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 after missing the training camp, a statement from Ajit Agarkar and Rohit Sharma is still to come. Although Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) President Jayesh George clarified that his exclusion from the VHT came following his one-liner after he missed the training camp, the Indian cricketer’s father has now blamed the state association for his snub.
People within KCA have something against my child: Samson Viswanath
In an interaction with Mathrubhumi.com, Sanju Samson’s father, Samson Viswanath said that the state association has something against his child, while claiming there a few other players who did not attend the camp.“There are people within KCA who have something against my child, we’ve never spoken out against the association before, but this time, it’s become too much. Sanju isn’t the only one who didn’t attend the camp, yet other players in the same situation were allowed to play,” Samson was quoted as saying in TimesNow.
Viswanath, furthermore asserted that they are open to discussion with the KCA to fix things as he wants his son to be given a fair chance to play. “It’s not about Jayesh George (KCA president) or Vinod S Kumar (Board Secretary); it’s some small people in between who turn everything into poison over trivial matters, We are sportsmen, not interested in the business of sports. All I want is for my son to be given a fair chance to play. If there’s any mistake, we’re open to discussion and ready to fix it,” he added.
Notably, Sanju Samson was part of the Indian team that lifted the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados in June. Afterwards, Sanju continued to feature in international cricket in limited-overs series and will return to action in the upcoming T20I series against England, which is scheduled to start from Wednesday, January 22 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.