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Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has opened up about his lack of chances with the national team has been 'tough', but he chooses to remain positive in the face of adversity. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper has regularly knocked on the doors of the selection committee, having made his international debut in a T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare back in 2015, the Kerala cricketer has featured in only seven ODIs and 16 T20Is till 2022.
And now, he finally got his chances in the second-string sides that toured Ireland, West Indies and Zimbabwe. Now, he will make way for regular keeper-batter Rishabh Pant when the Asia Cup begins in the UAE.
"I am a believer that whatever you go through in your career, you have to take it in a positive manner," Samson told the official broadcasters of the India-Zimbabwe ODI series. "It's very tough, it definitely gets into your head when you know that all your friends are playing and you're not," Samson said.
But despite playing so less, Samson said he's fortunate to have a 'good fan following'. "I feel surprised (on his fan following) that despite playing very little for India, I get good support."
Samson took three catches in the second ODI, and also anchored India's 162-run chase with an unbeaten 43 to win the player-of-the-match as India clinched the series with a win on Saturday, August 20. Batting at six, the Kerala player struck four sixes and three boundaries in his 39-ball knock.
"I feel there are a lot of Malayalis (in the crowd) as I hear cheers of 'Chetta Chetta' (elder brother) which make me feel proud," he said.
He also led RR to their second final in Indian Premier League (IPL) history in 2022. Samson finished among the top 10 leading run-getters in the IPL-2022 with 458 runs from 17 matches. He further added that captaining the Royals was a big turning point for him.
"It (IPL) has changed my perspective towards cricket. Earlier I used to think only about my batting, my game. Captaincy helps bring about a different mindset -- think about others as well apart from your game," he concluded.
