"Not playing the Vijay Hazare has obviously gone against him" - Aakash Chopra on Sanju Samson's non-selection for 2025 Champions Trophy

Former India player Aakash Chopra has acknowledged that Sanju Samson has fared well in the limited opportunities he has been given in ODI cricket. He reckoned the wicketkeeper-batter's non-selection in Kerala's Vijay Hazare Trophy side after he opted out of a camp would have played a role in him not being picked in India's 2025 Champions Trophy squad.

The selectors recently picked a 15-member Indian squad for the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy to be played in Pakistan and Dubai from February 19 onwards. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant were the two wicketkeeper-batters chosen.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the cricketer-turned-commentator opined that Samson's absence from the Vijay Hazare Trophy might have cost him a place in India's Champions Trophy squad.

"Sanju Samson is always a topic of debate. He has played 16 matches (ODIs) and has an average of 56 in 14 innings, which is very, very nice. He has scored a century and three half-centuries in those 14 innings. He also played against good teams. He scored a century against South Africa, which was on December 21, 2023," he said (7:30).

"These are good numbers but the last match was in December 2023 against South Africa in Paarl. He didn't play in the Hazare Trophy this year. There was a lot of discussion that he should have gone for the camp. Not playing the Vijay Hazare has obviously gone against him," Chopra added.

Aakash Chopra pointed out that all-format players don't have the time to attend camps or play domestic cricket, as was also suggested by Rohit Sharma recently. However, he highlighted that Sanju Samson has not been a regular in Indian cricket as he doesn't play Tests, has played limited ODIs, and has only recently started playing T20Is again.

---

Aakash Chopra on Sanju Samson's recent domestic numbers

Sanju Samson has scored 3,487 runs at an average of 33.85 in 119 List A innings. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra reflected on Sanju Samson's recent domestic numbers, including first-class cricket.

"How was his Vijay Hazare performance in 2023-24? He scored 293 runs in seven innings, which is not bad actually. However, he didn't play in 2022-23. He played only one Ranji Trophy match in 2024 and scored 15 runs," he said (9:20).

The former India opener noted that the Kerala player hasn't set the stage on fire either in the Vijay Hazare Trophy or the Ranji Trophy.

"When he played Ranji Trophy in 2023-24, his name was 10th in the run-scoring charts for Kerala. He played four matches, six innings, and scored 177 runs at an average of 35. He was at the fourth spot in the 2022-23 season, where he scored 284 runs in five innings with three half-centuries," Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra pointed out that Sanju Samson averaged nearly 27 in each of the last three seasons of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He added that the right-handed batter's numbers haven't been great and that there might have been a toss-up between him and Rishabh Pant, with the latter potentially being preferred as he gives a left-handed option in a batting lineup comprising all right-handers.