After leading Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, India wicketkeeper Sanju Samson has not been included in the squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy starting on November 21.
Samson-led Kerala finished third in the group stage of the SMAT 2024 season behind Andhra and Mumbai in the elite Group E games held in Hyderabad last month. After coming off a roller-coaster T20I series in South Africa where he scored two centuries and several ducks, Samson opened the SMAT season with a 75 against Services. Samson scored a total of 61 runs in his next four innings as Kerala missed out on the knockout places.
When asked about Samson’s absence, a Kerala Cricket Association official confirmed that the senior batsman has “opted out of the tournament for now”. It is not clear whether the wicketkeeper will be in the team after the batsman.
Samson’s last 50-over assignment came in December 2023 in India during the tour of South Africa. Samson scored his maiden century in the series decider against the Proteas to lead India to a 78-run victory. The Rajasthan Royals captain is also Kerala’s third highest run scorer in List A cricket, scoring a career-best 212 runs.
After losing both Samson and the injured Sachin Baby, Kerala have made in-form Salman Najar the captain for the tournament. Kerala is placed in Elite Group E, the matches will be played in Hyderabad. Group E consists of Bengal, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Baroda and Bihar.
The group stages of the tournament will take place between December 21 and January 5, 2025. The knockout rounds will be held in Vadodara.
Kerala Vijay Hazare Trophy Team: Salman Nijar (C), Rohan Kunnammal, Shaun Roger, Anand Krishnan, Krishna Prasad, A Imran, Jalaj Saxena, A Sarawate, Sijomon J, Basil Thampi, Basil NP, Nidish MT, Aiden Tom, Sharafudin, A Skaria, Vishweshwar, Vaishakh. Chandran, Ajnas M (wk).
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