Champions Trophy 2025 : Sanju Samson Irks BCCI, Big Reason Revealed Behind Omission : Report

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Champions Trophy 2025: Star wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, who has become a regular in India's T20I setup didn't make the cut for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 as well as the England ODI series prior to the major big-ticket event.

There were reports suggesting that Samson might be selected as the backup wicketkeeper-batter, given Rishabh Pant's inconsistent form in ODIs.

Despite this, Samson was omitted from both the Champions Trophy and ODI series squads.

The Vijay Hazare Trophy Incident

Sanju Samson's absence from the Vijay Hazare Trophy squad seems to have played a key role in his exclusion. While he captained Kerala in the Ranji Trophy, Samson did not attend the preparatory camp organized by the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) ahead of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Instead, he opted to stay back, leading the KCA to exclude him from their Vijay Hazare squad.

The BCCI Stance

According to a report by India Today, this decision by Samson did not sit well with the BCCI selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar. The selectors were reportedly displeased with his lack of participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which likely influenced their decision to exclude him from the ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy.

''I am not sure if Samson missing the tournament was the reason he was excluded. The reason he was not added in the Vijay Hazare squad was because he sent a one-line text saying he would not be available for the 30-member preparatory camp. We were all of the impression that he would be leading the team since he is our white-ball captain and had led in the SMAT season as well. So we went ahead and announced the squad and later he sent a message stating he is available for selection. Be it Sanju Samson or any other player, KCA has a policy in place that needs to be respected. We all know that Sanju does not need a camp to come into the squad, but is the Kerala team one that he can come and represent only when he feels like? How did Samson reach the Indian team? It was only through the KCA. That doesn't mean you turn up only when you feel like for the Kerala team," Kerala Cricket Association President, Jayesh George opened up on the incident.

India's squad for Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant(wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal.

India's squad for ODI series against England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh.