Champions Trophy 2025: Why Sanju Samson Unlikely To Be Part Of India's Squad?

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Sanju Samson is likely to miss out on a place in the squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, set to begin on February 19. The highly anticipated tournament will feature matches hosted across Pakistan and Dubai, with Team India scheduled to play all their fixtures in Dubai.

According to a PTI report, KL Rahul, who served as India's wicketkeeper during the ODI World Cup 2023, is expected to play as a specialist batter in the upcoming Champions Trophy.

Rishabh Pant is likely to take on the role of India's primary wicketkeeper for the tournament.

Dhruv Jurel, Ishan Kishan, and Sanju Samson are actually the three wicket-keepers who are in contention. However, Samson's chances appear slim as he opted out of the most recent Vijay Hazare Trophy due to personal reasons.

It is believed that Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel are likely to be India's top two wicketkeeping choices for Tests and ODIs moving forward. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson is considered more suited to the T20 format, where he showcased his prowess by scoring three centuries in 2024.

The 30-year-old is set to open the batting for India alongside Abhishek Sharma in the upcoming five-match T20I series, beginning on January 22. Currently enjoying the peak form of his career, Samson recently achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the first batter in T20I history to score three centuries in a single calendar year.

The Rajasthan Royals captain was included in India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad but did not make it into the playing XI during the tournament. It was his first-ever participation in a major ICC event. The highly anticipated Champions Trophy is set to begin on February 19, with India's squad expected to be announced on January 19. Originally, the deadline for teams to submit their squads was January 12, but it has been extended to January 19.