Sanju Samson is reportedly unlikely to be included in India’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors meet in Mumbai on Sunday, January 19, to finalize the team.
The 2025 Champions Trophy is scheduled to begin on February 19 in Karachi, with India’s group-stage matches taking place in Dubai. India has been placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, New Zealand, and Bangladesh.
According to a report, Samson, a member of Rohit Sharma’s T20 World Cup-winning team last year, has fallen out of favor. He last played a 50-over match for India on December 21, 2023, against South Africa in Paarl, where he scored a century.
KL Rahul, India’s wicketkeeper during the ODI World Cup 2023, is expected to play as a specialist batter in the Champions Trophy, with Rishabh Pant taking over as the primary wicketkeeper. For the reserve wicketkeeper spot, a three-way competition is anticipated between Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Dhruv Jurel.
Jurel currently leads the race due to Samson’s decision to skip the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 for Kerala for personal reasons.
Pant and Jurel are being groomed as India’s future Test and ODI wicketkeepers, while Samson is seen as a better fit for the T20I format, where he scored three centuries in 2024.
Jurel, yet to make his ODI debut, was named in India’s T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against England. He debuted in T20Is against Zimbabwe, scoring six runs in two games.
With Samson’s inclusion in the T20I squad for the England series, Jurel is unlikely to get game time. Samson is expected to take up wicketkeeping duties and open the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma in the series starting January 22.