Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant (Source:@LokeshVirat18K/X.com)
The much-awaited India's Champions Trophy 2025 squad has been revealed and the selectors have gone with a good blend of experience and youth. The usual big names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Bumrah and even Shami is back in the squad while the youngsters like Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh and Yashasvi Jaiswal have also been added into the ODI setup.
The two wicketkeepers in the squad are KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, and it means that Sanju Samson has missed out from another 50-over ICC tournament. There were intense debates on who should be given a nod between Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, and selectors have decided to go with the left-handed wicketkeeper.
However, Sanju Samson is a quality player and here are the reasons why he should have been in India's Champions Trophy squad.
1. Sanju Samson's Record In ODIs
Sanju Samson has not played lot of ODIs for India, but in the 16 matches he has played, the wicketkeeper batter from Kerala has scored his runs at an average of 56.66. He has a strike rate of close to 100 and has a century and three fifties to his name. The century he scored came in his last ODI against South Africa in a decider, and after that century, he deserved to get another go in the ODI squad.
Rishabh Pant, on the other hand, has an average of 33.50 in 31 ODIs and has one hundred with five fifties to his name. So, going by the stats, Samson has clearly performed better than Pant in ODIs, and deserved an opportunity.
2. Flexibility
The flexibility that Sanju Samson provides also could have been valuable for India in Champions Trophy. The wicketkeeper batter has batted from number 3 to number six position in ODIs and has scored runs in every position. At number, 3 he has an average of 54.33 with a hundred to his name.
The batter has fifties at number four, five and number six too, and it is this ability to fit in at any position that is of great value in any multination tournament. KL Rahul is India's first-choice wicketkeeper and the second wicketkeeper is expected to make it to the XI incase of an injury and that is where Samson could have been more useful than Pant.
3. Recent Exploits In White-Ball Cricket
Sanju Samson did not play India's last ODI series against Sri Lanka, but he is now a regular in T20Is and the man has shown his talent with three centuries in five games. It is a big achievement to score three centuries in T20Is in just five matches, and such dominant performances in Indian colours could have helped perform with more confidence in ODIs.
As mentioned before, he scored a century in his last ODI too, so there are runs under his belt while Rishabh Pant has played only one ODI after his accident where he failed to make an impact. So, having a player who has more confidence of delivering in white-ball cricket for India in recent times would have made more sense in a big tournament like Champions Trophy.