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Sanju Samson misses out from ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad; Rishabh Pant gets the nod

Sanju Samson misses out from ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad; Rishabh Pant gets the nod

Ajit Agarkar and Rohit Sharma announced Team India's ICC Champions Trophy squad on January 18 in Mumbai.

And Sanju Samson’s fate has again seen him miss out on an ICC mega event. Indian captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar held a press conference in Mumbai, announcing India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad. While the 15-man squad is obviously bolstered with the players who featured at the ODI World Cup 2023, Samson is left out. For his ODI heroics, KL Rahul is the first-choice keeper option, with Rishabh Pant being another choice. Interestingly, Samson hammered a century the last ODI he played for India in South Africa. Sadly for Samson, he isn’t picked among the reserves as well.

No Sanju Samson in ICC Champions Trophy squad because…

There were talks about inclusion for Sanju Samson, who has found a new life ever since he opened in the T20Is. Samson slammed three hundreds in just a span of five T20 internationals. Even Sunil Gavaskar batted for his inclusion, saying that he can score a double century in ODIs. However, his participation (lack of) at the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) might have played a part. Samson was picked for the T20Is against England but he remained on the sidelines for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

While there was a disagreement between Samson and the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA), had Samson played and done well in the tournament, it would have definitely helped his case. Regardless, Samson hasn’t been selected as a backup wicketkeeper, a role that has been given to Rishabh Pant. The case for Pant’s inclusion would definitely be amplified by the fact that he is a superb left-hand option. India’s top five doesn’t have a left-hander there and hence Pant’s value increases.

Sanju Samson’s ODI & List A stats

Samson, in the limited opportunities given, has wonderful ODI numbers for the India cricket team. However, his overall List A record suggests otherwise. Samson averages under 34 after 128 matches and has scored just 3 centuries. That’s a hundred every 40 innings. For someone of his talent, the record isn’t justified.

InningsRunsAverageStrike Rate100s50s
ODIs1451056.6699.6013
List A119348733.8590.21319

India squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025

  • Rohit Sharma (C)
    Shubman Gill (VC)
    Virat Kohli
    Shreyas Iyer
    KL Rahul
    Hardik Pandya
    Axar Patel
    Washington Sundar
    Kuldeep Yadav
    Jasprit Bumrah
    Mohammed Shami
    Arshdeep Singh
    Yashasvi Jaiswal
    Rishabh Pant
    Ravindra Jadeja
  • Reserves: Nitish Kumar Reddy, Avesh Khan, Varun Chakravarthy
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