His decision to skip the domestic tournament has not gone down well with the selectors.
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson might see himself lose out on a spot in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 after he decided to skip playing in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT).
According to PTI reports, the 30-year-old’s decision to opt out of VHT citing personal reasons has not gone down well with the selectors, who are expected to meet in Mumbai on January 19 to pick India’s squad for the ICC event.
Playing in the VHT would have given Samson a chance to showcase his mettle to the selectors in the 50-overs game, especially since his last appearance in the format was back in December 2023 against South Africa.
It is now understood that KL Rahul, who donned wicketkeeping gloves for India in the 2023 ODI World Cup, will play as a specialist batter in the Champions Trophy 2025 while Rishabh Pant will be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper.
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Currently, there’s an intense three-way battle among Dhruv Jurel, Ishan Kishan, and Sanju Samson for the role of Rishabh Pant’s backup. However, Jurel appears to be leading the race at the moment since Samson’s chances of making the cut are very slim after his recent decision to opt out of VHT.
It is understood that going forward, in the Test and ODI formats, Pant and Jurel might emerge as India’s top two wicketkeeping options. Samson is viewed primarily as a T20 specialist, a format in which he has already scored three centuries in 2024.
The star wicketkeeper-batter was previously part of India’s title-winning campaign in the T20 World Cup 2024 last year but failed to get featured in the playing XI throughout the tournament.
Samson will next be seen in the upcoming five-match T20I series against England, slated to start from January 22. He is expected to keep wickets as well as open the innings for India alongside Abhishek Sharma.
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