It won't be a hyperbole to say that India's star wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson's journey to India fold has been a complete roller-coaster ride. Nothing came easy for the Kerala-born cricketer. The flamboyant India batter, who has proved his mettle time and again but marred by the fortune, missed the T20 World Cup ticket but understands that getting into the elite 15 of the national team is more challenging than ever with the kind of quality that Indian cricket is churning day in and day out.
Samson opened up on the T20 World Cup snub and revealed how tough it is to make it to the Indian team given the cut-throat competition around.
“It really does get challenging. Finding a place in the Indian team is really challenging. There is a lot of competition around, even within players who are in the team now. When these things happen, it is important to focus on myself,” Samson said.
"I am happy with the way I am performing. I want to improve. The quality of cricketers we have in our team is unbelievable. So, it really helps each and every individual to raise their level. We keep on challenging ourselves. We try to perform every time we get an opportunity," the prolific batter added.
Samson is quite a versatile player who can play different roles in the team – from opening the batting to playing the role of a finisher – yet getting himself a spot in the playing XI has been quite a task for him. The 27-year-old, however, isn't giving up.
"Playing different roles is something I have worked on for a lot of years. I am confident of batting anywhere in the order. You should not fix a spot for yourself. You cannot tell people: ‘I am an opener or I am a finisher.' In the last three-four years, playing in various roles and spots (in the order) has added a new dimension to my game,” he asserted.
Samson will be leading India A in the three List A games against New Zealand A, starting in Chennai from Thursday.
India's T20 World Cup squad 2022: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.
