After leading Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, Indian wicketkeeper Sanju Samson has not been named in the squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which starts 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 matches held in Hyderabad last month. After coming off a roller-coaster South Africa T20I series where he scored two hundreds and many ducks, Samson opened the SMAT season with 75 against Services. Samson scored 61 in his next four innings as Kerala narrowly missed out on the knockout spot.
When asked about Samson’s absence, the Kerala Cricket Association official confirmed that the batsman has “opted out of the tournament for the time being”. It is not clear whether the wicketkeeper will join the team later.
Samson’s last 50-over career came in Indian colors during the tour to South Africa in December 2023. Samson scored his maiden century in the series-decider against the Proteas, setting up a 78-run victory in – India. The Rajasthan Royals captain is also the third highest run-scorer in List A cricket, with a career-best 212.
With both Samson and the injured Sachin Baby missing, Kerala have named in-form Salman Nazar as their captain for the tournament. Kerala have been placed in Elite Group E, with the matches scheduled to be held in Hyderabad. Bengal, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Baroda and Bihar are the other teams in Group E.
The group matches of this tournament will be held between December 21 and January 5, 2025. The knockout round will be held in Vadodara.
Kerala Vijay Hazare Trophy Team: Salman Nizar (c), Rohan Kunnummal, Shoun Roger, Anand Krishnan, Krishna Prasad, A Imran, Jalaj Saxena, A Sarvate, Sijomon J, Basil Thampi, Basil NP, Nidheesh MT, Edhen Tom, Sharafudeen, A Scaria, Vishweshwar, Vaisakh Chandran, Ajnas M (wk).
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