Aakash Chopra opens up on Sanju Samson’s omission for Champions Trophy squad, says not playing in Vijay Hazare trophy worked against him

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has opened up on Sanju Samson’s absence from Champions Trophy squad. The renowned commentator highlighted that not playing in the Vijay Hazare trophy for Kerala worked against the batter.

KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have been picked as the two wicket-keepers in the squad and the former is expected to the first-choice player in the final XI.

Meanwhile, Samson has scored 510 runs in 16 ODIs at an impressive average of 56.67. The flamboyant has performed consistently in T20Is in the recent past and he has been backed as an opener in the T20I team.

“Sanju Samson is always a topic of debate. He has played 16 matches (ODIs) and has an average of 56 in 14 innings, which is very, very nice. He has scored a century and three half-centuries in those 14 innings. He also played against good teams. He scored a century against South Africa, which was on December 21, 2023,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.

“These are good numbers but the last match was in December 2023 against South Africa in Paarl. He didn’t play in the Hazare Trophy this year. There was a lot of discussion that he should have gone for the camp. Not playing the Vijay Hazare has obviously gone against him,” Chopra added.

Chopra shed light on Sanju Samson’s numbers in the domestic tournaments.

“How was his Vijay Hazare performance in 2023-24? He scored 293 runs in seven innings, which is not bad actually. However, he didn’t play in 2022-23. He played only one Ranji Trophy match in 2024 and scored 15 runs,” he said.

The reputed commentator noted that Samson hasn’t produced eye-catching numbers while playing for Kerala in the domestic circuit.

“How was his Vijay Hazare performance in 2023-24? He scored 293 runs in seven innings, which is not bad actually. However, he didn’t play in 2022-23. He played only one Ranji Trophy match in 2024 and scored 15 runs,” he said.

India will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.