THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala’s teenage batting sensation Sanju V Samson, 13, and elder brother Saly V Samson, 15, have been selected to the South Zone Cricket Academy team for the Hanumant Singh Trophy under-16 tournament, which started in Bangalore on Monday. The tournament is being played among the zonal cricket academies and a combined president’s XI to pick 30 players for the National Cricket Academy.
Sanju was in the news for his prolific scoring and hard hitting in the junior tournaments.
Right hand batsman and wicket-keeper Sanju had scored 498 runs at an average of 62.25, including two centuries and two fifties and took 11 catches in the 2008-’09 Vijay Merchant Trophy (under-15) in season. The year before he had amassed 973 runs in 5 matches at an average of 108.11, including four centuries and three fifties in the KSCA Inter-state under-13 tournament to bag the player of the tournament award.
Saly, a right arm medium pace bowler and top order batsman caught the eye of the selectors with a century against Goa in the Poly Umrigar trophy (under-15) tournament in 2007-’08. He was the second highest run-getter for Kerala, second only to younger brother Sanju, with 229 runs and picked up three wickets in the 2008-’09 Vijay Merchant trophy.
Both represent City Cricketers, a leading cricket club in Thiruvananthapuram and train at the Kerala Sports Council training centre, Medical College, under Sports Authority of India coach Biju George.
The matches of the Hanumant Singh trophy are being held at four centres Bangalore, Hosur, Mysore and Anantapur.
On Monday, West Zone were 224/3 against South on day one.
The tournament, comprising three day matches on a league format, is being played among the North, East, West, South and Central zone cricket academies and a Combined President’s XI.