‘He wasn’t the only one who failed’: Coach says Sango Samson was unfairly singled out after Zimbabwe snub | Cricket news
New Delhi: Sanju SamsonChildhood coach Biju George has harshly criticized selectors after the star wicket-keeper-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 win earlier this year. The right-hander was named Player of the Tournament after scoring 97, 89 and 89 in India’s last three matches.George said he was deeply saddened by the decision and felt Samson deserved a longer spell after helping India win the World Cup.“I agree he failed in three games. But he wasn’t the only one who failed. Was he? I feel really sad. I’m absolutely devastated because I thought that, at least next year, I would give him five or six games, three rounds, three straight rounds. Give him a place. Sad.” George told the Times of India. com in an exclusive interview.He said: “With such talent, there is no doubt about his ability. There is no doubt that it was the winning goal in the match. He won the World Cup. Now, how can you do this to him? It’s certain things you can never understand – why it happens. Isn’t it? Very sad. So you defend it.”Samson also enjoyed a fine IPL The season in which he scored two centuries – the most in the tournament.However, scores of 5, 0 and 1 in the Ireland and England tours saw him lose his place to 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. While Samson remains with the Indian team in England, where India trail the series 2-0, he has been ruled out of the Zimbabwe T20Is.His omission has 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 Suryavanshi more opportunities. India also recalled Rinku Singh and made first contact for Prabhsimran Singh.Responding to suggestions that Samson may have been rested to give the youngsters a chance, George wondered when the wicket-keeper batsman would get another chance to stake his claim.“Maybe he’s only comfortable giving opportunities to young players?“Where does he have a chance to prove himself before then? When is the next tour after Zimbabwe? What is the calendar? What is the next tour? I think it is a very long way to go. I think maybe Sri Lanka. Will they change the lineup pending that? I don’t know. Yes.“Maybe he’ll have to go back and work it out, which he certainly will. But that’s beside the point.”George said Samson had been treated unfairly since his young cricket days and believed the recent omission was part of a long-term pattern.“Look, why do people look at players differently? When Sanju Samson comes, everything goes wrong for him. “When XYZ comes in, he gets treated with kid gloves,” George said.“This has happened to Sanju since the U-19 stage. Even when he was scoring goals, he was not selected for the U-19 team. Instead, Unmukt Chand was selected. Then, out of nowhere, Vijay Zole became captain. Sanju was ignored. Later, Sanju became vice-captain,” he said.
“Overthrowing Syria, Samson is ridiculous.”
George said Samson’s performance in the T20 World Cup should have given him a longer spell in the team.He also came out in support Suryakumar Yadavwho led India to the T20 World Cup title but was removed as captain and from the team.“Actually, if you look at it, if Sango hadn’t played those three amazing innings in a row, the selector wouldn’t have kept his job, nor would the chief selector. The whole team would have been sacked. Right?“Now, the man, the captain who won the World Cup, the player who was the Man of the Tournament, has been left out, which is ridiculous. There are some players – without naming anyone – who come and immediately go into the starting line-up. There are some players who have been given such a lot of leeway. Why can’t it be the same for this guy?”
“repeating pattern”
George said Samson found himself repeatedly fighting for his place despite putting in match-winning performances whenever he was given opportunities.“This is not the first time this has happened to Sanju. This is a recurring pattern with him. He gets injured, then he falls after the World Cup, then he scores and he falls again. For him, it’s a combination where he always has to perform in every match or every other match. Look, for someone who bats at the top, someone who bats at 140 or 150 overs, it’s very difficult to maintain that consistently.” right? said George dejectedly.“So let’s see. I pray that he takes it very positively, comes back, does his best, and once again proves these people wrong.”
