India's wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson was the talk of the town earlier this week when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India's T20I squad for the five-T20I series against Australia. Samson was ignored from the T20I squad like he was from ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023. But the Kerala-born batter does not want to create a controversy over his snub from the national side despite not getting a long rope from selectors.
"People call me the unluckiest cricketer, but where I've reached currently, it's much more than what I thought I could," Samson said in a conversation with Dhanya Varma on her YouTube channel.
Samson did not have a consistent run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. He scored 362 runs from 14 matches at an average of 30.17. However, Rajasthan Royals (RR) missed the semifinal berth as they finished fifth on the points table.
Samson recalled that India captain Rohit Sharma had a conversation with him after the season.
"Rohit Sharma was the first or second person who came to me and talked. He told me 'Hey Sanju, wassup. You performed well in the IPL, but hit too many sixes against Mumbai Indians. You bat really well'. I had great support from him," Samson added.
When he got a chance, he has not been able to produce an outstanding performance to impress the selectors. Injuries have played a role in him missing important series. But his omission from the Asian Games 2023 squad indicated that he may not be in the scheme of things. The doubt was further clarified when he was not in the squad for the T20I series against Australia.
The 29-year-old has scored 374 runs from 21 innings at an average of 19.68 including one half-century. He made his last T20I appearance against Ireland in August 2023 where he scored 40 runs from 26 balls.
Samson's recent appearance in domestic appearance was against Saurashtra in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023's opening day. In the run chase of 186, Kerala captain scored 30 runs from 47 balls. Abdul Basith's half-century led them to a three-wicket win in a low-scoring encounter.
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