"Sanju Samson Vidya Balan ko milne gaya hai" - Fans react sarcastically as wicketkeeper-batter ignored in India squad for ICC 2025 Champions Trophy

Sanju Samson failed to make it to the 15-member team as BCCI announced the India squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled for February and March.

The wicketkeeper-batter has not played an ODI since his century against South Africa in his last 50-over outing. Rishabh Pant was chosen as the second wicketkeeper alongside KL Rahul in the squad.

This came even as Samson has a better white-ball stat than Pant in white-ball formats.

Pant in

ODIs: 871 runs in 27 innings @33.50

T20Is: 1206 runs in 66 innings @23.25

Samson in

ODIs: 510 runs in 14 innings @56.66

T20Is: 810 runs in 33 innings @27.93

It's worth mentioning that Samson recently smashed three centuries in T20Is. Meanwhile, Mumbai batter Yashasvi Jaiswal was picked based on his Test performances.

Fans on X were disappointed as Sanju Samson missed out on a place in the India squad for the ICC event. One user wrote:

"Sanju Samson omission is pure result of favouritism, intelectual dishonesty & bootlicking culture, the one who are good at bootlicking of captain will get prefer. Samson means business only, scored 4 100s in last 13 innings of white ball still dropped."

Another user wrote:

"Most Unluckiest Cricketer - Sanju Samson (my favourite)."

A third user wrote sarcastically while taking an indirect dig at India captain Rohit Sharma:

"Sanju Samson Vidya Balan ko milne gaya hai."

Here are a few more reactions:

Harbhajan Singh and Mohammad Kaif picked Sanju Samson ahead of Rishabh Pant in their Champions Trophy lineups

Former India cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Mohammad Kaif picked Sanju Samson ahead of Rishabh Pant in their lineups for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel:

"I think Sanju should be preferred because he had played in South Africa. Rishabh Pant played so well in Australia but it was a long tour so if he is rested, it’s not a big thing.”

Kaif shared similar sentiments on his YouTube channel:

"Rishabh Pant needs to recognize the reality. If someone tells him 'wrong things are being done with you', they are not telling the right things. Rishabh Pant should stay away from such friends."

"Someone needs to tell him that his white-ball stats are not that great. Sanju Samson has genuinely earned that chance to go to the Champions Trophy. Rishabh Pant needs to work hard," he added.

India's Champions Trophy 2025 squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.