Shashi Tharoor has criticized the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) after Sanju Samson was left out of India’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He blamed KCA for mishandling Samson’s situation and accused the organization of letting egos damage the cricketer’s career.
Sanju Samson, a key player for the Rajasthan Royals, was not considered for the squad as the selectors chose Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul as the wicketkeeper-batters. Tharoor linked Samson’s exclusion to KCA’s decision to drop him from the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 squad. This decision came after Samson had informed KCA in advance about his inability to attend a training camp for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. Tharoor criticized KCA for not managing the situation properly, which has now impacted Samson’s chances at the national level.
Samson’s Strong Performance in Recent Matches
Sanju Samson has been in excellent form recently. He scored three centuries in his last five T20I innings. In December 2023, he also hit a century in his last ODI against South Africa. The 30-year-old has impressive ODI statistics, with 510 runs in 14 innings. He averages 56.66 and has a strike rate of 99.60, including one century and three half-centuries.
These performances show Samson’s ability to deliver at the highest level, yet his omission has raised serious concerns among fans and experts.
Tharoor’s Statement on KCA’s Role
Taking to social media, Shashi Tharoor voiced his concerns over the KCA’s handling of the situation. He questioned why the association acted against a player who has consistently delivered strong performances. Tharoor wrote:
“The sorry saga of the Kerala Cricket Association and Sanju Samson—the player wrote to KCA, in advance, regretting his inability to attend a training camp between the SMA and the Vijay Hazare Trophy tournaments, and was promptly dropped from the squad. A batsman who has a highest score of 212* in the Hazare, who averages 56.66 in ODIs for India (including a century in his last outing, against South Africa) is having his career destroyed by the egos of cricket administrators. Doesn’t it bother the KCA bosses that by leaving Sanju out, they ensured Kerala didn’t even reach the quarter-finals of the Hazare? Where does this leave him?”
Tharoor pointed out that KCA’s decision also hurt Kerala’s performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, as the team could not even reach the quarter-finals.