Sanju Samson's childhood coach slams selectors after T20I snub

Sanju Samson (Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: Sanju Samson's childhood coach, Biju George, has strongly criticised the selectors after the star wicketkeeper-batter was left out of India's squad for the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. The decision came as a surprise because Samson had played a key role in India's T20 World Cup triumph earlier this year. The right-hander was named Player of the Tournament after scoring 97 not out, 89 and 89 in India's last three matches. George said he was left heartbroken by the decision and felt Samson deserved a longer run after helping India win the World Cup. "I agree he failed in three matches. But he was not the only one who failed. Right? I feel really sad. I'm totally broken because I thought that, at least for the next year, give him five or six matches, three tours, three continuous tours. Give him a slot. Sad," George told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview. "With this talent, there is no question about his calibre. There is no question that he was your match-winner. He won you the World Cup. Now, how can you do this to him? It is like certain things you can never understand—why they happen. Right? Very sad. So you defend it," he said. Samson also enjoyed a fine IPL season, scoring two centuries - the most by a batter in the tournament. However, scores of 5, 0 and 1 on the tours of Ireland and England saw him lose his place to 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. While Samson remains with the Indian squad in England, where India trail the series 2-0, he has been left out of the Zimbabwe T20Is. His omission has raised more questions because Samson is still part of India's full-strength squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan later this year. With Samson unavailable, the Zimbabwe series is expected to give more opportunities to Sooryavanshi. India have also recalled Rinku Singh and gave the maiden call up to Prabhsimran Singh. Reacting to suggestions that Samson may have been rested to give youngsters an opportunity, George questioned when the wicketkeeper-batter would get another chance to stake his claim. "He may be rested just to give opportunities to young players? "Where does he have a chance to prove himself before that? When is the next tour after Zimbabwe? What is the calendar? What is the next tour? I think it's a long, long way away. I think Sri Lanka, maybe. So will they change the squad waiting for that? I don't know. Yeah. "Probably he'll have to come back and work it out, which he certainly will. But that's besides the point." George said Samson has been treated unfairly since his junior cricket days and believes the latest omission is part of a long-running pattern. "See, why do people look at players differently? When Sanju Samson comes in, everything goes wrong for him. When XYZ comes in, he's treated with kid gloves," George said. "This has happened to Sanju right from the Under-19 stage. Even when he was scoring runs, he was not picked for the Under-19 side. Instead, Unmukt Chand was picked. Then, from nowhere, Vijay Zol became captain. Sanju was ignored. Later, Sanju became vice-captain," he said.

'Dropping Surya, Samson ridiculous'

George said Samson's performances in the T20 World Cup should have earned him a longer run in the side. He also came out in support of Suryakumar Yadav, who captained India to the T20 World Cup title but was removed both as captain and from the squad. "Actually, if you look at it, had Sanju not played those three consecutive brilliant innings, neither the selector would have retained his job, nor would the chief selector. The entire team would have been sacked. Right? "Now, the guy, the captain who won you the World Cup, the player who was the Man of the Tournament, have been dropped, which is ridiculous. And there are certain players—not naming anybody—who come in and straight away slot into the playing XI. There are certain players who are given such a big leeway. Why not the same for this person?"

'Recurring pattern'

George said Samson has repeatedly found himself fighting for his place despite producing match-winning performances whenever given opportunities. "This is not the first time it has happened to Sanju. This is a recurring pattern with him. He gets an injury, then gets dropped after the World Cup, then scores runs and gets dropped again. It's like, for him, it is always a combination where he has to perform in every single match or every other match. See, for somebody batting at the top, somebody who strikes at 140 or 150-plus, it's very difficult to maintain that consistently. Right?," a dejected George said. "So let's see. I pray that he takes it very positively, comes back, gives his best, and again proves these people wrong," he signed off.