Sanju Samson's exclusion from India's squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe has drawn sharp criticism from his childhood coach, Biju George, who said the decision was deeply disappointing after the wicketkeeper-batter's match-winning contributions in India's T20 World Cup-winning campaign earlier this year.
Samson had emerged as the Player of the Tournament after producing unbeaten scores of 97, 89 and 89 in India's final three matches of the competition. Despite that performance, he was omitted from the Zimbabwe squad, a move George said left him devastated.
"I agree he failed in three matches. But he was not the only one who failed. Right? I feel 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. Sad," George told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.
"With this talent, there is no question about his calibre. There is no question that he was your match-winner. He won you the World Cup. Now, how can you do this to him? It is like certain things you can never understand—why they happen. Right? Very sad. So you defend it," he said.
Samson also impressed during the IPL season, becoming the tournament's only batter to score two centuries.
However, scores of 5, 0 and 1 during the tours of Ireland and England resulted in him losing his place to 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Although Samson continues to be with the Indian squad in England, where the team trails 2-0 in the series, he has not been included for the Zimbabwe T20Is.
His omission has sparked further debate because he remains part of India's full-strength squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan later this year.
With Samson unavailable for the Zimbabwe series, Sooryavanshi is expected to receive an extended opportunity. The selectors have also recalled Rinku Singh and handed Prabhsimran Singh his maiden call-up.
Responding to suggestions that Samson may have been rested to accommodate younger players, George questioned the logic behind the move and wondered when the batter would next get an opportunity to cement his place.
"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. Yeah.
"Probably he'll have to come back and work it out, which he certainly will. But that's besides the point."
George said Samson has repeatedly been on the receiving end of unfair treatment throughout his cricketing journey and argued that the latest decision reflects a pattern stretching back to his junior days.
"See, 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 said.
"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 picked. Then, from nowhere, Vijay Zol became captain. Sanju was ignored. Later, Sanju became vice-captain," he said.
According to George, Samson's performances during the T20 World Cup should have guaranteed him a longer stint in the national side.
He also defended Suryakumar Yadav, who led India to the T20 World Cup title before being removed as captain and dropped from the squad.
"Actually, if you look at it, had Sanju not played those three consecutive brilliant innings, neither the selector would have retained his job, nor would the chief selector. The entire 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, have been dropped, which is ridiculous. And there are certain players—not naming anybody—who come in and straight away slot into the playing XI. There are certain players who are given such a big leeway. Why not the same for this person?"
George said Samson has continually had to fight for his place despite delivering match-winning performances whenever opportunities have come his way.
"This is not the first time it has happened to Sanju. This is a recurring pattern with him. He gets an injury, then gets dropped after the World Cup, then scores runs and gets dropped again. It's like, for him, it is always a combination where he has to perform in every single match or every other match. See, for somebody batting at the top, somebody who strikes at 140 or 150-plus, it's very difficult to maintain that consistently. Right?," a dejected George said.
"So let's see. I pray that he takes it very positively, comes back, gives his best, and again proves these people wrong," he signed off.
