Sanju Samson Father Blames MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rahul Dravid for Stalling His Son's Career Growth

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Sanju Samson, the talented Indian cricketer known for his prowess in T20Is, has seen a resurgence in recent months, especially under the mentorship of head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav.

However, his father, Samson Vishwanath, recently expressed deep frustration over his son's career trajectory, alleging that major Indian cricket figures hindered Sanju's progress. In a now-viral interview with a Malayalam news outlet, Vishwanath did not hold back.

He pointed fingers at some of Indian cricket's most respected names, including MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and former head coach Rahul Dravid. "There are 3-4 people who wasted 10 years of my son's vital career...captains like Dhoni ji, Virat [Kohli] ji, Rohit [Sharma] ji, and coach [Rahul] Dravid ji.

These four people destroyed 10 years of my son's life, but the more they hurt him, the stronger Sanju came out of the crisis," he stated. Vishwanath further voiced his dissatisfaction with former selector Kris Srikkanth's criticism, especially following Sanju's century against Bangladesh.

Srikkanth had reportedly downplayed the achievement, questioning the opponent's strength. In response, Vishwanath said, "People have been saying he [Srikkanth] was a great player, but I haven't seen it. A century is a century, and Sanju is a player with a classical touch like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. At least respect that!"

Despite these frustrations, Vishwanath expressed gratitude for Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav, crediting them with rejuvenating Sanju's career. "I am very happy, and I want to thank Gautam Gambhir bhai and Suryakumar bhai," he said.

"If these two people did not come at this time, they would have dropped him from the team like in the past," he added. Gambhir's decision to let Sanju open in T20Is has proven beneficial, allowing the Kerala batter to make history as the first Indian to score consecutive T20I centuries.

This renewed focus on Sanju comes as India prepares for the T20 World Cup in 2026. His father remains hopeful that Sanju's recent performances will secure him a consistent spot in the national squad.