Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar shared his thoughts on India’s decision to pick Rishabh Pant over Sanju Samson for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. India’s head coach Ajit Agarkar announced the squads for the ODI series against England at home and the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
On Saturday, January 18, the Indian selectors surprised many with some of their bold but unexpected calls, including reprimanding Mohammed Siraj, elevating Shubman Gill to the vice-captaincy position and dropping Sanju Samson for both the England series and the ICC Eight Nations tournament.
Sunil Gavaskar reacts to the selection of Rishabh Pant over Sanju Samson for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
Samson was heavily criticized by the Indian coach despite his impressive performance in T20 cricket in 2024, which included two centuries against South Africa and one against Bangladesh. Even Samson’s figures in ODI cricket look stronger, averaging 56.66 compared to Pant’s 33.50.
But with only 16 ODIs under his belt, Samson’s limited experience may have played a role in the selection of Pant, who has proven an ability to shift momentum in crucial matches. Reports claimed that the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman’s refusal to play in the ongoing 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy. played a key role in his exclusion from the 2025 Champions Trophy squad.
However, the former Indian captain felt it was a strategic decision to continue with Rishabh Pant instead of Samson. Sunil Gavaskar pointed out that Rishabh Pant’s left-handed batting and exceptional wicket-keeping skills were the main reasons behind the selectors’ decision to leave out Sanju Samson in the upcoming prestigious tournament.
Sanju Samson must not feel down: Sunil Gavaskar
However, the legendary Indian cricketer acknowledged Samson’s achievements and said he had the sympathy of the entire nation for his scorn, but advised the talented wicketkeeper-batsman to stay positive and use this setback as motivation for future opportunities.
Sunil Gavaskar was quoted as saying in India Today: “Very difficult because the man was scoring hundreds and hundreds of runs. There’s no excuse to leave it out. But he was pitted against Rishabh Pant, who we all know can be a game changer. Besides, Rishabh Pant is left-handed and is probably a better wicket-keeper, though he may not be a better batsman than Samson. Pant can change the game maybe a bit more than Samson and that is why Samson was left out. But Samson must not feel dejected as all Indian cricket fans will have sympathy for him for what he has achieved.”
Shashi Tharoor slams KCA for making false allegations against Sanju Samson
Recently, Kerala politician Shashi Tharoor attacked the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) for their false claims about Samson’s refusal to play in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy preparatory camp.
Notably, KCA reportedly said that they dropped Sanju from the VHT team as he refused to attend the camp and this eventually led to the Indian cricketer losing his place in the Indian cricket team for the upcoming event.
Shashi Tharoor posted on X: “The unfortunate saga of the Kerala Cricket Association and Sanju Samson — the player had written to the KCA in advance, lamenting that he could not attend the training camp between the SMA and Vijay Hazare Trophy tournaments, and was immediately dropped from the team — has now resulted in Sanju’s exclusion from the Indian team.
For the highest-scoring batsman of 212* in Hazare, who averages 56.66 in ODIs for India (including a century in his last appearance, against South Africa), his career is destroying the ego of a cricket administrator. Doesn’t it bother the KCA bosses that by leaving out Sanju, they ensured that Kerala didn’t even reach the quarter-finals of Hazara? Where does this leave him?”
The sorry saga of the Kerala Cricket Association and Sanju Samson — the player had written to the KCA in advance, lamenting that he could not attend the training camp between the SMA and Vijay Hazare Trophy tournaments, and was promptly dropped from the squad — has now resulted in…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 18, 2025
