"Finding a place in the Indian team is really challenging" - Sanju Samson on the difficulties of breaking into the playing XI at the moment
Team India batter Sanju Samson shed light on the difficulties of making it into the playing XI of the national team at the moment. The Kerala-born batter was not selected in the squad for the T20 World Cup 2022 and has only managed to play sporadically since making his debut seven years ago.
Samson has made significant strides in his domestic and IPL career. Although he has evolved from a rookie player to the captain of a franchise, his place in the national colors does not reflect the same. Sanju Samson has mustered 16 T20Is and seven ODIs in his career so far and is struggling to shed the backup player tag.
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Admitting that it is very difficult to feature in Team India's plans at present due to the talent at their disposal, Sanju Samson said in an interaction with PTI:
“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.”
Consistency is something that has eluded Samson over the years, hampering his chances of attaining a string of matches for Team India. Looking to compete for a spot in the playing XI on the back of his performances, Sanju Samson added:
"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."
Samson will next be in action when he leads the India A side against New Zealand A in Chennai. The two teams are scheduled to play three List A games after their unofficial Test series ended with a scoreline of 1-0 in favor of the hosts.
"You cannot tell people: ‘I am an opener or I am a finisher'" - Sanju Samson
Samson was last seen in the ODI series against Zimbabwe, where he had a couple of decent outings.
In his brief international career, Samson has been deployed in various roles, primarily in the middle order. In the IPL, however, he has usually played in the top order.
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Noting that flexibility in terms of batting approach is something that he has worked on to meet the demands of the evolving game, he said:
"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.”
Should the wicket-keeper batter have been part of the Indian T20 World Cup 2022 squad? Let us know what you think.