‘Might not be the better batter than him’ - Sunil Gavaskar opens up on Rishab Pant’s Champions Trophy selection over Sanju Samson

Former legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar recently discussed selecting wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant over Sanju Samson in India’s squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The former batter compared Pant and Samson after the selectors announced the 15-man squad for the prestigious cricket quadrennial.

Notably, the veteran batter KL Rahul and star Southpaw Pant have been picked as the wicketkeeper-batters in India’s squad for the tournament. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson missed a chance to cut the squad even after having a century on his credit in his last ODI appearance.

There is no excuse to leave him out – Sunil Gavaskar on Sanju Samson

However, Gavaskar had some clear words to express his feelings on this selection and the star Kerala wicketkeeper-batter getting left out. 

“Very tough because the man has been scoring hundreds and hundreds of runs. There is no excuse to leave him out. But he was pitted against Rishabh Pant, who we all know can be a game-changer. Plus Pant is a left-hander and probably the better wicketkeeper, although he might not be the better batter than Samson,” said Gavaskar to India Today. 

“Pant can change the game perhaps a little more than Samson and that’s why Samson missed out. But Samson must not feel dejected because all Indian cricket lovers will have sympathy for him for what he has achieved,” he added later. 

There will also be discussions in the Indian think tank and the management during Champions Trophy 2025 while picking up the final playing XI and deciding the first-choice wicketkeeper between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant.

Speaking of other selections, star pacer Mohammed Siraj failed to secure a spot in the men in blue’s squad for the showpiece event in Pakistan and Dubai. 

The tournament will kick off on February 19 next month and Rohit Sharma’s men will start their journey with their campaign opener against Bangladesh on February 20.

Here’s a look at India’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025:

Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill (vc), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja.