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In a surprising turn of events, Sanju Samson’s father, Samson Vishwanath, has criticized prominent figures in Indian cricket, including MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid, for allegedly hindering his son’s cricketing career. This statement comes as the cricketing community prepares for the upcoming IPL auction scheduled for November 24-25 in Jeddah.
Criticism of cricketing icons
Vishwanath expressed his frustrations during an interview with a Malayalam news outlet, claiming that the influence and decisions of these cricketing stalwarts have negatively impacted Sanju’s opportunities in the national team. “There are 3-4 people who wasted 10 years of my son’s vital career…captains like Dhoni ji, Virat [Kohli] ji, Rohit [Sharma] ji, and coach [Rahul] Dravid ji,” Vishwanath stated as quoted by MyKhel.
“These four people destroyed 10 years of my son’s life, but the more they hurt him, the stronger Sanju came out of the crisis,” he added further.
Also WATCH: Team India celebrate Sanju Samson’s birthday ahead of the 3rd SA vs IND T20I
Sanju’s IPL journey
Sanju Samson, who has been a key player for the Rajasthan Royals (RR), was retained by the franchise ahead of the auction, reflecting the team’s confidence in his abilities. Despite his impressive performances in the IPL, including being one of the leading run-scorers in recent seasons, his father believes that external factors have limited his son’s selection for the national team.
Sanju made his IPL debut for the Royals on April 14, 2013, against Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab). He quickly made a name for himself by scoring 63 runs in just his second match, becoming the youngest player at that time to score a half-century in the IPL. In his debut season, he scored 206 runs and was awarded the Best Young Player of the tournament.
Till IPL 2024, Sanju has played 167 matches, scoring over 4,419 runs at an average of around 30.69.
