​NEW DELHI: Sanju Samson’s childhood coach, Biju George, has launched a pointed critique of the selectors after the star wicketkeeper-batter was omitted from India’s squad for the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. The decision surprised many, given Samson’s pivotal role in India’s T20 World Cup victory earlier this year, where he earned Player of the Tournament honors by contributing 97 not out, 89 and 89 in the team’s last three matches. George said he felt heartbroken by the decision and believed Samson deserved a longer run, especially after helping India lift the World Cup. “I agree he failed in three matches. But he wasn’t the only one who failed, right? I’m 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. It’s sad,” George told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview. “With this talent, there is no doubt about his calibre. There’s no question that he was your match-winner. He won you the World Cup. How can you do this to him? It’s like some things you simply cannot understand—why they happen. Very sad. So you defend it,” he added.
Samson also enjoyed a strong IPL season, hitting two centuries—the most by any batter in the tournament. Yet a string of low scores, including 5, 0 and 1 on Ireland and England tours, saw him displaced by 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. While Samson remains with the Indian squad in England, where India trail 2-0 in the ongoing series, he has been left out of the Zimbabwe T20Is. His omission has sparked further 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 given a maiden call-up to Prabhsimran Singh.
Reacting to speculation that Samson might have been rested to promote younger players, George asked when the wicketkeeper-batter would be given 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. Probably he’ll have to come back and work it out, which he certainly will. But that’s beside the point.”
George asserted that Samson has been treated unfairly since his junior cricket days and views the latest omission as part of a long-running pattern. “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 remarked. “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 selected. Then, out of the blue, Vijay for better SEO. This pattern needs to be understood.”