Champions Trophy 2025 : Shashi Tharoor Slams KCA After Sanju Samson's Snub, Says 'Career Destroyed By The Egos'

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Shashi Tharoor has criticized the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) following Sanju Samson's omission from India's squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

The Rajasthan Royals batter was overlooked as the selectors chose Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul as the two wicketkeeper-batters in the 15-member squad.

Tharoor attributed Samson's exclusion to the KCA's decision to drop him from the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 squad, despite the cricketer informing the association in advance about his inability to attend the training camp for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. Tharoor accused the KCA of mishandling the situation and jeopardizing Samson's career.

Samson has been in remarkable form recently, having scored three centuries in his last five T20I innings. He also registered a century in his last ODI against South Africa in December 2023. The 30-year-old has impressive ODI stats, with 510 runs in 14 innings at an average of 56.66 and a strike rate of 99.60, including one century and three half-centuries.

"The sorry saga of the Kerala Cricket Association and Sanju Samson -- the player wrote to KCA, in advance, regretting his inability to attend a training camp between the SMA and the Vijay Hazare Trophy tournaments, and was promptly dropped from the squad -- has now resulted in Sanju's exclusion from the Indian team. A batsman who has a highest score of 212* in the Hazare, who averages 56.66 in ODIs for India (including a century in his last outing, against South Africa) is having his career destroyed by the egos of cricket administrators. Doesn't it bother the KCA bosses that by leaving Sanju out, they ensured Kerala didn't even reach the quarter-finals of the Hazare? Where does this leave him?," Tharoor wrote on X.

Despite his consistent performances, the Indian management favored Rishabh Pant, who was also preferred over Samson during the T20 World Cup 2024.