Wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson will be available for Kerala’s upcoming matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. Samson confirmed his availability for the tournament after he was initially left out of the team.
The Vijay Hazare Trophy is the prestigious national 50+ tournament held in India. It is an important tournament for Samson as he looks for a place in the Indian team for the Champions Trophy 2025.
While Samson has confirmed his availability, the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) is yet to decide whether to include him in the squad or not. KCA secretary Vinod S Kumar informed the status of his availability.
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Sanju Samson available for upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy matches
Speaking to The Indian Express, KCA secretary Vinod S Kumar informed about Sanju Samson’s availability for the rest of the tournament. However, he also stated that the panel is yet to receive a decision on his selection.
“Sanju has informed us that he is available for selection for the last two days. We have yet to receive a call on its inclusion. There is already a full contingent in Hyderabad and only two matches have been played,” Kumar said.
Vinod S Kumar also reported that senior batsman Sachin Baby is still unavailable as he continues to recover from his injury that occurred during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament.
Kerala has lost one of the two matches it has played so far. They lost their first game to Baroda by 62 runs in which they made a mammoth score of 403 runs in the first innings. The second match against Madhya Pradesh was in an exciting position before rain washed away the game.
Why was Sanju Samson left out of the Kerala team?
Earlier, Sanju Samson was left out of Kerala’s initial squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy as he was not available for the team’s preparatory camp before the tournament. The selectors decided to select the team by looking at the camp and ruled out Samson.
Samson recently led Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he scored 136 runs in five matches at an average of 27.20 and a strike rate of 149.45. However, he was not available for the team’s preparatory camp ahead of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In his absence, Salman Nizar was named captain of Kerala for the 50-over tournament.
Sanju Samson eyes spot in India’s Champions Trophy squad
Sanju Samson has been in brilliant form with the bat for India in the T20I format. He has reached three hundreds in his last five T20I matches against Bangladesh and South Africa. All his hundreds have come while opening the batting.
If Samson gets a chance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he will be aiming for a place in the Indian Champions Trophy team, which is just a few months away. He has a good ODI record with 510 runs in 16 matches at an average of 56.66 and a strike rate of 99.60.
His first international hundred came in an ODI during India’s tour of South Africa when he smashed an unbeaten 108 to lead his team to a 78-run victory over the hosts.