Tough times don't last

In 2013, a cricket prodigy Sanju Samson started attracting eyes from the cricket world for his aggressive batting for the IPL team Rajasthan franchise. The Malayali player soon became the key payer for the team, and over the years climbed the ladder to become the Rajasthan team captain. The journey was not without its perils. Despite his batting fireworks and flurry of centuries, Sanju always got into headlines for the wrong reasons. And now, even while at the zenith of his career, Sanju is snubbed again from the national squad. Sanju was not considered for the Indian team for the three ODI series against England this month and the Champions Trophy ODI tournament.

Meanwhile, he is in the team for the Twenty20 series against England which started on Tuesday. Sanju, who came to the Indian team for the first time in 2014, returned home without playing a single match on the England tour. On the tour of Zimbabwe, the following year, he made his debut in the Twenty20 format but stumbled in front of the crease and couldn’t match his hype. For the next ten years, Sanju would hop in and out of the team, and sometimes get his prized inclusion in inconsequential series. There would be no dearth of praises for Sanju's batting, but when it came to squad selection, the Kerala star was often shown the door.

So, it was a surprise when the selectors decided to break the stigma and pick up Sanju for the T20 World Cup squad last year. The hype was generated and the whole kerala cricket fans glued to televisions to watch their player in action. Sanju didn’t play even a single game but on the brighter side; India won the World Cup.

After the World Cup, BCCI made Suryakumar Yadav the captain in T20 format and it seemed like the good days were here for Sanju. It was worth the wait for Sanju as he scored three centuries and one half-century in 13 T20Is under Yadav's aegis. Sanju also made history by becoming the first batsman to score three T20 centuries in a calendar year. Even at the zenith of the form, the Indian squad couldn't afford him.

Over a decade back, BCCI was rife with rumours over lobbying in the national team. Those days are gone but Sanju’s story is forcing many to revisit that dark past. Amidst the muddle came the Kerala Cricket Association, refusing to include Sanju in the Vijay Hazare Trophy domestic one-day tournament. It would be delusional to conclude that missing Vijay Hazare's trophy cost Sanju the national team place. Karun Nair, who is on a century spree in the Vijay Hazare trophy and arguably the best player of the tournament is still far away from being called into the national squad.

The countless stories of allegations and rumours will only deteriorate the confidence of the Malayali player. Albeit the Kerala player getting snubbed, there is no doubt about the quality of the team picked by Agarkar for the Champions Trophy.

Rohit Sharma and Virat are into the sunset days of their cricket career. Sanju earned a place in the T20 squad after the veterans called it a day. It would be logical to presume that after they retire, Sanju would be the first contender to fill the void in the Indian squad.