Jayesh George, president of the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA), has expressed his frustration with star Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson following his absence from the Vijay Hazare Trophy squad. Samson missed the team's three-day preparatory camp in Wayanad, which led to speculation that this absence contributed to his exclusion from India's ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad.

 

After the announcement of India's squad for the tournament, George explained that Samson's omission from the Vijay Hazare Trophy was due to a one-line text message he sent, indicating he would not attend the camp. "We were under the impression that he would be leading the team, given that he is our white-ball captain," George stated. He emphasized that KCA has policies that must be respected and questioned whether Samson should only participate in state cricket when it suits him.

 

Despite being a top performer in domestic cricket, including leading run-scorer status in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Samson's absence from the preparatory camp ultimately cost him a spot in both the state and national teams. In six Tests since his debut in 2016, he has scored 374 runs with an impressive average of 62.33.