ICC Champions Trophy: First you will pass the test, only then you will be selected in the Indian Champions Trophy team… Now what problem has happened with Sanju Samson?

Cricket News Desk. On one hand, when Sanju Samson left his mark in T20 international cricket by scoring two centuries against South Africa, it seemed that he would also be selected in Team India for the ICC Champions Trophy. However, the current environment appears to be against them. The decision to exclude himself from the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 now seems to be going against him. The news coming before the selection of Team India for ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is not good for them.

Ahead of his selection for the ICC Champions Trophy, questions are being raised as to why he kept himself out of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which is played in the ODI format. According to a report in Times of India, Sanju Samson's not playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy is a matter of investigation. Team India selectors will first investigate the matter and then discuss his name for selection in the Champions Trophy squad.

The Kerala Cricket Association did not select a team for the tournament due to the absence of a wicketkeeper. KCA secretary Vinod S Kumar said the association does not want any young player to lose his place due to uncertainty over Samson's availability. BCCI sources say the issue should be discussed before the selectors select the Champions Trophy squad on January 19.

BCCI sources said- The selectors and the board are very clear about the importance of domestic cricket. Last year, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer lost their central contracts for not playing domestic matches without permission. Even in Samson's case, the board and selectors were not told why he was kept out of the tournament. Meanwhile, there are reports that Sanju Samson is spending most of his time in Dubai.

Meanwhile, ahead of the Champions Trophy, Samson has been selected for the home T20 series against England starting next week. However, since the Vijay Hazare Trophy is played in the 50-over format, it becomes an important tournament before the Champions Trophy. Sources say that Samson has a bitter history with KC but he will have to leave the relationship to play domestic cricket. It is not possible that there would be some misunderstanding between him and the state organization and he would miss playing a big tournament. Before the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

It is noteworthy that Samson is being considered as a contender for one of the two wicketkeepers along with Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel. Having suffered from serious hamstring injuries in the last two years, there remains uncertainty over Rahul's wicketkeeping ability in the longer format. It will be interesting to see how the selectors balance the team if Rahul is not available for wicketkeeping.