Champions Trophy: How an one-line email spoiled Sanju Samson’s chances

Dubai: The Indian Champions Trophy squad announcement didn’t have many surprises. Even before the official announcement, the Indian board confirmed that skipper Rohit Sharma would return to lead the Men in Blue in their quest for another ICC trophy.

The embattled 37-year-old skipper will be eager to add the Champions Trophy to the T20 World Cup title he clinched in the West Indies last year. However, the team seems to lack an additional quality batter, with several key players struggling for form. Alongside Rohit, star batter Virat Kohli and vice-captain Shubman Gill have had a lean patch. Meanwhile, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who showed promise during the Test series in Australia, have been inconsistent. Shreyas Iyer, the only other specialist batter in the squad, is riding high on a stellar domestic season, featuring two centuries.

India’s matches in Dubai are expected to favour spin, and the selectors have included three spin-bowling all-rounders and a specialist spinner in the 15-member squad. However, one spot could have been allocated to any of the following players:

Sanju Samson, Nitish Kumar Reddy, a pace-bowling all-rounder with late-order hitting capabilities, or Karun Nair, who had a phenomenal domestic Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign.

While Nitish Kumar and Karun Nair missed out for reasons only the selectors know, Sanju Samson might have himself to blame.

A one-line email appears to have dashed Samson’s hopes of making the Champions Trophy squad.

“I’m not sure if Samson missing the tournament was the reason he was excluded. The reason he was not added to the Vijay Hazare squad was because he sent a one-line text saying he would not be available for the 30-member preparatory camp. We were under the impression that he would lead the team, given he is our white-ball captain and had led in the SMAT season as well,” said Jayesh George, President of Kerala Cricket Association, to MediaOne.

Jayesh, quoted by Wisden on Sunday, did not hold back his criticism of the 30-year-old batter, saying, “You cannot come and play for Kerala whenever you feel like.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has emphasised domestic cricket recently, and Samson’s decision not to participate may have irked the selectors. Jayesh elaborated, “Hemang Amin [BCCI COO] asked me if disciplinary action against Samson had prevented him from playing in the Vijay Hazare games. I clarified there was none, and his Champions Trophy consideration wouldn’t have been affected otherwise.”

Despite the controversy, Samson has been in scintillating form in white-ball cricket for India, regularly scoring centuries across formats. At 30, he has delivered standout performances, including two centuries in South Africa and another against Bangladesh in a T20 at home. His most recent ODI outing, in Paarl against South Africa in 2023, earned him the Player of the Match award for a superb century.

With such a large pool of talent, players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain under pressure to deliver despite their match-winning capabilities. For Samson, losing his place just as he seemed to be cementing his spot in the team will undoubtedly be a tough pill to swallow.