Why is Sanju Samson not in the Champions Trophy team, Gavaskar told the real reason

Last updated:January 19, 2025, 1:04 pm IST

Champions Trophy 2025: Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has supported the selectors for not giving Sanju Samson a place in the Champions Trophy team. The reason behind not being included in the team was also given.

New Delhi. The 15-member Indian team for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was announced on Saturday (January 18). Rohit Sharma will be seen captaining the team while Shubman Gill has been made the vice-captain. Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul will be seen playing the role of wicketkeeper in the tournament for India. There was news of Sanju Samson also being selected in the Champions Trophy team but it did not happen.

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has given his/her reaction on Sanju Samson not being selected in the team. he/she explained the reason behind selecting Rishabh Pant in the team instead of Sanju. This batsman, who made a splash by scoring three centuries in T20 last year, made his/her debut in the year 2015 and till now has not been able to cement his/her place in the team. Speaking to India Today, Gavaskar said, “It is very difficult because Sanju has also scored a lot of runs these days but he/she has been kept in place of Rishabh Pant. We all know that Pant can change the game and he/she is also a left handed batsman. Rishabh Pant is a better wicketkeeper than Sanju Samson but he/she cannot be a better batsman than him/her.

Gavaskar further said, “Sanju should not be disappointed because Indian cricket fans will sympathize with him/her for what he/she has achieved. A big difference between Sanju and Rishabh is that Pant has slightly more ability to change the match than him/her.

Sanju Samson had scored 2 centuries in the T20 series against South Africa. he/she played an excellent inning of 107 runs in Durban and 109 runs in Johannesburg. If we look at his/her performance in ODI, he/she made his/her debut against Sri Lanka in 2021 and since then he/she has scored 510 runs in 16 matches at an average of 56.66 and strike rate of 99.60, which includes one century and 3 half-centuries.