Sanju Samson available for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy matches but not included in the squad

Wicketkeeper batsman Sanju Samson will be available for Kerala’s upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 matches. Samson confirmed his availability for the tournament after being left out of the squad initially.

The Vijay Hazare Trophy is the prestigious domestic 50-over tournament in India. It is an important tournament for Samson as he seeks a place in the Indian squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Although 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 about the status of their availability.

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Sanju Samson available for upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy matches

While talking to The Indian Express, KCA secretary Vinod S Kumar informed about Sanju Samson’s availability for the rest of the tournament. However, he also claimed that the jury is yet to make a call on his selection.

“Sanju has informed us that he is available for selection for the last two days. We are yet to get a call on his 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 the injury sustained during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament.

Kerala have lost one match out of the two they have played so far. They lost their first match to Baroda by 62 runs in which they posted a mammoth score of 403 runs in the first innings. The second match against Madhya Pradesh was in an exciting position before rain ended the match.

Why was Sanju Samson left out of the Kerala team?

Earlier, Sanju Samson was left out of Kerala’s starting squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy as he was unavailable for the team’s pre-tournament preparatory camp. The selectors decided to select the team by looking at the field and dropped 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 Kerala’s captain for the 50-over tournament.

Sanju Samson eyeing a place in India’s Champions Trophy squad

Sanju Samson has been in brilliant form with the bat for India in the T20I format. He has scored three hundreds in his last five T20I matches against Bangladesh and South Africa. All his hundreds have come as he opens the baptism.

If Samson gets a chance at the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he will look for a place in the Indian Champions Trophy squad that 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 side to a 78-run victory over the hosts.