‘He wasn’t the only one to fail’: Coach says Sanju Samson unfairly picked after Zimbabwe insult

Sanju Samson (Getty Images) NEW DELHI: Sanju Samson’s childhood coach Biju George has come down hard on the selectors after the star wicketkeeper-batsman was left out of India’s squad for the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. The decision came as a surprise as Samson played a key role in India’s T20 World Cup triumph earlier this year. The right-hander was named player of the tournament after scoring 97 not out, 89 and 89 in India’s last three matches.George said he was heartbroken by the decision and felt Samson deserved a longer run after helping India win the World Cup.“I agree he failed in three games. But he wasn’t the only one who failed. Right? I feel really sad. I’m totally heartbroken because I thought I’d give him at least five or six games for the next year, three tours, three consecutive tours. Give him a slot. Sad,” he added. George told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.“With that talent, there’s no doubt about his calibre. There’s no doubt he was your match-winner. He won you the World Cup. How can you do that to him? It’s like certain things you never understand – why they happen. Right? Very sad. So you defend it,” he said.Samson also enjoyed a great IPL season, scoring two centuries – the most by a batsman in the tournament.However, with scores of 5, 0 and 1 on the tour of Ireland and England, he lost his place to 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. While Samson remains in the Indian squad in England where India lead the series 2-0, he has been left out of the Zimbabwe T20Is.His omission raised further questions as Samson is still part of India’s full squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan later this year.With Samson unavailable, the Zimbabwe series is expected to give Sooryavanshi more opportunities. India also recalled Rinku Singh and called up Prabhsimran Singh for the first time.Responding to suggestions that Samson may have been rested to give the youngsters an opportunity, George asked when the goalscorer would get another chance to stake his claim.“Can he be rested just to give the young players a chance?“Where does he have a chance to prove himself before that? When is the next Zimbabwe tour? What’s the calendar? What’s the next tour? I think it’s a long, long way away. I think maybe Sri Lanka. So will he change the team waiting for that? I don’t know. Yeah.“He’ll probably have to go back and sort it out, which he will. But that’s beside the point.”George said Samson has been treated unfairly since his junior cricket days and believes the latest omission is part of a long-term pattern.“See why people look at players differently? When Sanju Samson comes in, everything goes wrong for him. When XYZ comes in, he is treated with kid gloves,” said George.“That happened to Sanju right from the under-19 stage. Even when he scored, he was not picked for the under-19 side. Instead, Unmukt Chand was picked. Then out of the blue, Vijay Zol became the captain. Sanju was ignored. Later, Sanju became the vice-captain,” he said.

“Drop Surya, Samson Ridiculous”

George said Samson’s performances in the T20 World Cup should have earned him a longer run in the side.He also came out in support of Suryakumar Yadav, who captained India to the T20 World Cup title but was removed as captain and from the team.“Actually, when you look at it, if Sanju hadn’t played those three consecutive brilliant innings, neither the selectors would have kept their jobs nor the chief selectors. The whole team would have been sacked. Right?“Now, the guy, the captain who won you the World Cup, the player who was the Man of the Tournament has been dropped, which is ridiculous. And there are certain players – I’m not naming anyone – who come in and get straight into the playing XI. There are certain players who have so much freedom. Why not the same with this person?”

‘Repeating Pattern’

George said Samson repeatedly found himself fighting for his spot despite producing match-winning performances whenever he got the chance.“This is not the first time this has happened to Sanju. It’s a recurring pattern with him. He gets injured, falls after the World Cup, then scores and falls again. For him, it’s always a combination where he has to perform in every single match or every other match. You see, for someone who is batting at the top, someone who is very difficult to hit on 140 or 15? said a dejected George.“So we’ll see. I pray he takes it very positively, comes back, gives his best and proves people wrong again,” he signed off.