So much respect for you, Sanju. ❤️
How long did you carry all this silently and still smile?
When you said, “It’s not easy to come from Kerala and play cricket at this level,” today that line feels even more real.
When Rajasthan Royals signed a 13-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, RR captain Sanju Samson said:
“He’s so ready, and you never know, in a couple of years we might see him playing for India”
Fast forward to today, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has become the youngest Indian cricketer ever to be selected for India at just 15 years old 🇮🇳
Sanju already knew 😅💎
And who knows, we might soon get to see Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi opening together for India 🔥🔥
Sanju Samson poster at the FIFA World Cup.
Last time at the FIFA World Cup, a fan proudly carried a Sanju poster in the stadium.
Few cricketers enjoy this kind of support beyond cricket, and Sanju is definitely one of them. 🙌
Sometimes I don’t understand why Ajit Agarkar was and is always against Sanju Samson
In 2023, India had 3 squads for the Asia Cup, Asian Games & ODI World Cup. 31 different players got selected across those tournaments & somehow Sanju wasn’t part of any squads. What’s even crazier is that he was picked as a reserve player for the Asia Cup, which meant he wasn’t part of the Asian Games squad & it also affected his plans to play County Cricket. So in the end he wasn’t part of the Asia Cup squad, wasn’t part of the Asian Games squad & couldn’t continue with his County plans either. Everyone who followed the ODI matches before the 2023 World Cup knew Sanju was the most deserving guy who wasn’t picked in the squad.
When Sanju scored 3 T20I centuries as an opener in 2024, Ajit Agarkar openly said he was only playing because Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal were unavailable. Imagine saying that about a player who had just scored 3 centuries in 5 matches for India in T20Is something no one has done before in a year. Most players would get backed after performances like that. That was so disrespectful from the national selector. I wonder how Sanju would have felt that day.
Then came the ODI explanation. Ajit Agarkar said Sanju wasn’t being picked because he was a top-order batter. But Sanju has literally batted everywhere in ODI cricket other than opening and his numbers have been excellent irrespective of the position. His last ODI innings was a match-winning century in a series decider against South Africa at Paarl, one of the toughest batting venues in the country, and after that innings he never played another ODI for India.
Last year selectors picked ODI squad with 3 different WKs for a series & Sanju wasn’t one of them. That’s when the explanation came that Sanju is a top-order batter. But now Virat Kohli gets injured and India need a No.3 batter, yet Sanju still isn’t being considered despite being the last Indian batter other than Kohli to score an ODI century at No.3. So he wasn’t picked because he was a top-order batter, but when a top-order spot opens up he still isn’t picked. What kind of logic is that?
And the most frustrating part is that it’s always the same guy missing out whenever an ICC event comes around when he deserve the most
🔹 2021 T20 World Cup
🔹 2022 T20 World Cup
🔹 2023 Asia Cup
🔹 2023 Asian Games
🔹 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup
🔹 2025 ICC Champions Trophy
Every single time it’s Sanju Samson
What’s even crazier is that during the T20 World Cup cycle he gets some chances in ODI squads while completely neglecting him in T20 squad , and vice versa during the ODI World Cup cycle he would suddenly appear in T20 squads. Not because he was getting consistent opportunities, but because he was never given a clear role or a long run in either format. 2-3 failures & he would be out again💔
No backing. No continuity. No clarity.
Things have always been different when it comes to Sanju Samson
First time he was picked for an ICC event was for the 2024 T20 World Cup, but didn’t get to play a single match & India won an ICC tournament after more than a decade
The only ICC tournament Sanju Samson has actually played in during his entire 11-year international career was the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The only ICC tournament he actually got an opportunity to play, he ended up being the best player of the tournament📈
One of the things I admire most about Sanju is that he has never shown frustration. He never complained, never held grudges against those who disrespected him, and never made excuses. He always kept a smile on his face, even during the lowest moments of his career 💎
Every opportunity had to be earned the hard way, every place in the squad had to be fought for, and every setback had to be overcome without any backing
Even after winning the WorldCup as POTT, some people are still questioning his place in the team which makes me realise that every match for Sanju will always remain as a “Do or Die” game😅
2/n
Even the so called consistent Abhishek Sharma who has opened in all his innings Averages at 33.44 with S/R of 190.47
Sanju's Opening Average is 35 with S/R of 182
and everyone says Abhishek & Shreyas is consistent , Sanju is inconsistent
#DoubleStandards#BCCI#SanjuSamson
Sanju Samson is a genuine cricketer with massive talent, not a media narrative or a lobby product. Whatever he has achieved, he has earned through hard work, not favors or favoritism. We are incredibly proud of our boy. ❤️
Without captaincy, without a Test cap, and without a consistent ODI run, Sanju Samson has built one of the biggest fanbases in Indian cricket. After Dhoni and Kohli, few cricketers command this kind of organic love from the people.
PR, captaincy, and positions can't buy this affection. @ajitagarkar, you may push players, but you can't force fans to love someone else. This support was earned, not manufactured.
This is one OLD interview of Sanju Samson childhood coach, Biju George :
“If you look at Sanju Samson’s career right from the start, being ignored has been a constant theme. During the India U-19 selection trials, he scored a century and still wasn’t picked. Sanju was the most deserving player to lead the India U-19 team at that time, yet the selectors chose someone else, a player who is nowhere to be seen today.
While others were handed opportunities, Sanju had to earn every single one of his the hard way.”
This is exactly why so many people connect with Sanju Samson
He wasn’t given the easy route. He had to fight through rejection after rejection.
Most people would have given up. He didn’t.
He stayed patient, backed himself, and kept moving forward.
The right inspiration and idol 💎
@BCCI@GautamGambhir@imAagarkar
The best thing about Sanju is that everything he has earned in cricket, he earned himself through talent, hard work, and patience. No PR campaigns, no lobbying, no shortcuts. Just pure cricket.
Suryakumar Yadav, thank you so much for standing by and supporting Sanju Samson during his difficult times. You will always be Sanju Samson's captain.
@surya_14kumar ❤️🫶
This selection is disrespect to every WC performer, picking him on basis on IPL. Is IPL everything for team selection? Why did you ignored WC performers why did u include a player who wasn't even part of it? Most corrupt board ever with lobby influence.
THANK YOU CAPTAIN SKY
No one backed Sanju Samson the way Surya did.
It's true that in difficult times, only a real friend stands by your side.
The way Surya backed Sanju, giving him opportunities, and trusted, and then Sanju repaying that faith by helping Surya win the World Cup as captain, will always be remembered. 🇮🇳 🙌
Suryakumar Yadav is the only captain who truly backed Sanju Samson in his career.
You changed India’s T20 batting approach.
One of the greatest T20 batters ever, if not the greatest India has ever produced in this format🐐
Thank you, SKY🙏🏻 @surya_14kumar
But @ashwinravi99 sir, people have so much support that no journalist questions it and . But how can an outsider become captain? This is a grave insult to all the players who have been with the team for the last five years and have won two World Cups without Shreyas Iyer.
But @ashwinravi99 sir, people have so much support that no journalist questions it and . But how can an outsider become captain? This is a grave insult to all the players who have been with the team for the last five years and have won two World Cups without Shreyas Iyer.
R Ashwin openly criticized the BCCI's unfair selection and captaincy decisions regarding Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer.
Finally people have started speaking out against the BCCI's dictatorship.