Did KCA make fun of Sanju Samson after he rejected the CT? The president makes a strong statement

Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) president Jayesh George slammed Indian national cricket team batsman Sanju Samson for sending them a line over his unavailability to field preparatory school of 30 members. He said he is not sure if not playing in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy was the reason for his exclusion from the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

The Indian National Cricket Team has named their squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. One of the notable omissions was Sanju Samson as the team went with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant as their two wicketkeepers of the squad for the tournament, which will be played in the hybrid model.

Sanju Samson’s exclusion came as a surprise as many expected him to be CT’s second-choice goalkeeper.

Samson’s exclusion came as a surprise as many expected him to be the team’s second-choice wicketkeeper due to his heroics in white-ball cricket of late. He looked in golden touch in 2024, hitting four T20I centuries while opening the batting.

Also with his ODI average of over 55, he was expected to be in the squad. But that was not to be, and there is a school of thought that he was not included in the squad because he did not play the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy for Kerala.

Sanju Samson wanted to play in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 but he was unable to attend the field and Kerala picked the team without him.

The reason he was not added to Vijay Hazare’s team was because he sent a one-line text message: KCA president Jayesh George

KCA Cricket Association (KCA) president Jayesh George was asked if Sanju Samson not playing in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy was the reason for his rejection of the ICC Champions Trophy. He spoke about the reasons why the batsman was not named in the home team, saying he sent a one-liner.

He also mentioned that they are confident that Sanju Samson will play the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 as he is the white ball captain. Speaking to MediaOne, he explained:

“I’m not sure if Samson missing the tournament was the reason he was dropped. The reason he wasn’t added to Vijay Hazare’s squad was because he sent a one-line message saying that he would not be available for the 30-member prep camp.

“We were all under the impression that he would lead the team as he is our white ball captain and had also led the SMAT season.”

Be it Sanju Samson or any other player, KCA has a policy to be followed – Jayesh George

Jayesh George added that Sanju Samson later mailed them for their availability but they had already announced the squad. He lashed out at the wicket-keeper batsman, saying that while he had no desire to be a part of the team, he cannot represent the team only when he wants to. He elaborated:

“So we went ahead and announced the squad and later he sent a message that he was available for selection. Be it Sanju Samson or any other player, the KCA has a policy that needs to be followed.

“We all know that Sanju doesn’t need a field to get into the squad, but is it the Kerala team that can come and represent only when it feels like it? How did Samson get into the Indian team, it was just through the KCA. That doesn’t mean you show up only when you feel like it for the Kerala team.”

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