Former India wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik has shared his views on Rishabh Pant's selection over Sanju Samson in the Champions Trophy 2025 squad.

The selection committee preferred Pant over Samson despite the latter's great form in recent times in both ODIs and T20Is leaving several fans and pundits stunned.

Karthik also shared his views on the selectors' decision and mentioned how Pant being a left-hander, gives a different variable to the batting order. He also reasoned that Samson not playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 played a major factor in his non-selection.

"It almost had to happen, isn't it? It was either Rishabh Pant or Sanju Samson. I know you can look at both of them as pure batters, but I think they have tilted towards Rishabh Pant for just the one reason: because he is a left-hander. He can give that differential variable that they are looking for in the batting order. But Sanju Samson was so close, and the fact that he didn't play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, I am sure, has played a part in that too," Karthik said on Cricbuzz's HeyCBwithDK show.

Samson has been in remarkable form of late, having scored three centuries in his last six T20I innings. He also slammed a brilliant ton in his last ODI outing against South Africa in December 2023. The 30-year-old boasts an average of 56.66 after 14 innings in ODI cricket with 510 runs to his name at a strike rate of 99.60. He has registered one hundred and three fifties in his career so far.

Samson gets slammed by KCA President

On the other hand, Pant has scored 871 runs from 31 matches (27 innings) in ODIs at an average of 33.50 with one hundred and five fifties. The southpaw was also selected in the Playing XI ahead of Samson during the T20 World Cup 2024 as well.

Meanwhile, for not giving a proper reason to not attend Kerala's 30-member preparatory camp ahead of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. The wicketkeeper-batter recently featured in the first T20I against England, where he was dismissed for 26 (20).