Congress veteran Shashi Tharoor has thrown his support behind fellow MP and Rajya Sabha leader Harbhajan Singh’s praise for Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson. Taking to his official social media account, Singh had asserted that there should be no debate about Samson’s place in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, vouching for his exceptional skills. He also suggested that Samson be groomed as the next T20 captain for India after Rohit Sharma. Singh also extended his appreciation to Yashasvi Jaiswal, who played a pivotal role in Rajasthan Royals’ dominant victory over Mumbai Indians in their IPL 2024 match on Monday.
Responding to Singh’s post, Tharoor echoed his sentiments, stating that he has been advocating for Samson’s recognition for years. He highlighted that despite being the leading wicket-keeper batsman in the IPL, Samson is often overlooked when discussing the national team. Tharoor emphasized the need for justice for Samson, asserting that he deserves a fair chance to showcase his talent at the international level.
This is not the first instance of Tharoor backing Samson’s selection in the Indian team. Last year, he had questioned the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for not including Samson in the T20I series against Australia. He had even suggested that Samson should not only be picked but also appointed as the team’s captain in the absence of senior players like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and KL Rahul. Suryakumar Yadav was ultimately named the captain for that series, which took place shortly after India’s loss in the final of the ODI World Cup 2023.
Shashi Tharoor is currently engaged in the electoral contest against BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. All 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala will vote in a single phase on April 26, and the votes will be counted on June 4.
