Champions Trophy 2025: Shashi Tharoor slams KCA after Sanju Samson’s exclusion from Team India
Sanju Samson‘with being left out of India’s 15-man squad for Champions Trophy 2025 has sparked considerable debate within the cricketing community. Despite being in sensational form, having scored three centuries in the last five T20I innings and scored a ton in his recent ODI outing against South Africa in December 2024, Samson found himself overlooked by the selectors.
Shashi Tharoor criticizes KCA mismanagement
Shashi Tharoor, a Congress MP, publicly criticized Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) for the mishandling of Samson’s case, blaming their rigid policies for his exclusion. Samson informed KCA well in advance of his unavailability for the preparatory camp prior to the selection of the squad. However, the KCA imposed its rule that players must attend these camps, which led to Samson’s exclusion from the team. Tharoor pointed out that Samson’s omission from the team was primarily due to his absence from the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024where Kerala did not reach the quarter finals.
“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 ended resulting in Sanju’s exclusion from the Indian team,” Tharoor wrote on social media
Tharoor pointed out that KCA’s short-sightedness and rigid approach has now led to Kerala’s decline in cricket and Samson’s exclusion from the big ODI tournament. Tharoor raised pertinent questions, asking if it was fair for the KCA to punish a player of Samson’s caliber for administrative differences.
“A top-scoring batsman of 212* in Hazare, who averages 56.66 in ODIs for India (including a century in his last appearance, against South Africa) has had his career ruined by 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?” Tharoor concluded.
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 team — has now resulted in…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 18, 2025
READ ALSO: Ajit Agarkar reveals why Mohammed Siraj was not selected for Champions Trophy 2025.
Sanju Samson’s recent form and achievements
Samson, who has captained Kerala in various domestic tournaments, has been in incredible form of late. He led Kerala to Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024where his team won four out of six matches but narrowly missed out on qualifying for the knockouts. Samson also scored two centuries during India’s T20I tour of South Africa in November 2024, showing that his form in the shortest format remains formidable.
His consistent performances in ODIs and T20Is kept him on the selectors’ radar, but his lack of participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy ultimately cost him the chance to make the squad for the Champions Trophy. Despite his excellent record, including his century in the last ODI against South Africa and his outstanding performances in domestic tournaments, the management was leaning towards selecting Rishabh Pant, who has featured prominently in the 2024 T20 World Cup, over Samson.
Samson’s future with the Indian team
While Samson is still part of India’s T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against Englandstarting January 22 in Kolkata, his absence from the Champions Trophy highlights the precarious position he finds himself in. His absence from the Vijay Hazare Trophy has now become a key factor in his exclusion and his fate in future ODIs remains uncertain unless KCA addresses the situation and gives him a fair chance to perform.
READ ALSO: Rohit Sharma explains why Mohammed Siraj was not picked in India’s 2025 Champions Trophy squad.
