In a twist of cricketing fate, Sanju Samson finds himself in the captain’s shoes for Kerala in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy national one-day championship. Rohan Kunnummal has been named his deputy. And a day after he was named Kerala captain, Sanju did not find any place in India Cricket team for the five-match T20I series against Australia (IND vs AUS T20 series) set to commence on Nov 23.
The squad composition for the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) sees Shreyas Gopal as the sole outstation professional in the 16-member squad. The Kerala team kicks off their campaign against Saurashtra at Alur, near Bengaluru, on November 23. Group A also features teams like Mumbai, Odisha, Puducherry, Railways, Sikkim, and Tripura.
With the door to India Cricket Team closed, Sanju Samson will focus on domestic cricket in the lead up to IPL 2024. The Vijay Hazare Trophy coincides with the T20I series against Australia. But his omission from Team India will now help him build momentum for IPL 2024.
Historically, state selectors tend to omit players from squads who are in contention for national team selection. This pattern is evident as Mumbai excludes Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Tamil Nadu overlooks Washington Sundar for their respective List A tournament teams. Kerala’s decision to appoint Sanju Samson as captain was already an indication that he would miss out on the T20I series selection.
Ishan Kishan pips Sanju Samson
The wicketkeeper-batsman, Sanju Samson, recently made a comeback for the white-ball series against West Indies. However, the road to the World Cup 2023 posed a challenge as he faced direct competition with Ishan Kishan. Kishan’s standout performance in the ODI series secured his spot in the World Cup squad, leaving Samson as the backup player during the Sri Lanka tour.
With Ishan Kishan set to play against Australia, the question arises: what is Sanju Samson’s future? As Kerala embarks on its Vijay Hazare Trophy journey, the spotlight will on Sanju Samson. It will be interesting to see how he responds.
Notably, Samson was at his dominating best in last WI series. Watch one of his masterclass below.
The final on December 16 marks the culmination of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Samson’s journey will be closely observed, both as a leader for Kerala and as a contender for a spot in the national T20I squad.
