Sanju Samson’s omission from the Champions Trophy squad has been a huge talking point over the last few days. The wicketkeeper-batter has been in tremendous form for the national team, smashing three centuries in the game’s shortest format.

The 30-year-old smashed a brilliant hundred in his last ODI outing in South Africa but hasn’t played another 50-over game for the country since then.

According to media reports, head coach Gautam Gambhir wanted Samson in the Champions Trophy squad, but captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar favoured Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul.

What also ruined Samson’s chance was that he wasn’t part of Kerala’s Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign after he missed the pre-tournament camp.

Furious with his son’s Champions Trophy snub, Sanju Samson’s father, Viswanath Samson, blasted the Kerala Cricket Association, exposing their hidden agenda against his son.

Without taking any names, Viswanath accused KCA officials of unfairly reprimanding his son for missing the team camp. He argued that his son was made a scapegoat as several other players who missed the camp were selected in the Vijay Hazare squad.

“There are people within KCA who have something against my child, we’ve never spoken out against the association before, but this time, it’s become too much. Sanju isn’t the only one who didn’t attend the camp, yet other players in the same situation were allowed to play,” Viswanath Samson said, as quoted by Mathrubhumi English.

Samson’s father acquitted KCA president Jayesh George and secretary Vinod S Kumar of any wrongdoing against his son but blamed “some small people” within the board who run the agenda against the wicketkeeper-batter.

“It’s not about Jayesh George (KCA president) or Vinod S Kumar (Board Secretary); it’s some small people in between who turn everything into poison over trivial matters; we are sportsmen, not interested in the business of sports. All I want is for my son to be given a fair chance to play. If there’s any mistake, we’re open to discussion and ready to fix it,” he added.

Samson is part of India’s T20I squad, which will face England in a five-match series starting on January 22.