"The leadership group had told me that they were considering me for red-ball cricket"- Sanju Samson expresses Test aspirations
Team India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson expressed his aspiration to play Tests for India. He further mentioned that the leadership group asked him to focus on red-ball cricket.
The 29-year-old scored a brilliant century for India D in the 2024-25 Duleep Trophy against an India B attack, featuring Test bowlers like Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, and Washington Sundar. Samson finished the tournament with 196 runs at an average of 49 and a strike rate of almost 96 in two outings.
In a media interaction on Tuesday (October 15), Samson was quoted by Sportstar as saying:
"I believe I have the skillset to succeed in red ball cricket and I just don’t want myself to be restricted to just white ball cricket. My desire is to play Test cricket for India. Before the Duleep Trophy, the leadership group had told me that they were considering me for red ball cricket and asked me to take it seriously and play more Ranji Trophy matches."
He added:
"My preparation was good this time around. After the series against Sri Lanka I trained at the RR Academy with Rahul Dravid Sir and Zubin Bharucha and worked on my game. The century in the Duleep Trophy has given me a lot of confidence as it came against some of the best bowlers in the country."
Samson's first-class record with the willow isn't as impressive as several other up-and-coming batters with an average of under 39 in 64 matches. However, he has the opportunity to better his record, playing for Kerala from round two of the ongoing 2024-25 Ranji Trophy.
"When you have someone as a coach who believes in your ability, playing cricket becomes more enjoyable" - Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson thanked India's T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir for backing him despite a string of low scores in the shortest format.
The stylish right-hander scored only two half-centuries in 32 T20Is, including back-to-back poor outings in the first two games of the recent Bangladesh series. However, Samson finally broke loose and scored an incredible 111 off 47 deliveries in the series finale to repay the team management.
"Surya is a good communicator and there is clarity in what he wants from the players. He is a good leader and players trust him. Gautham bhai has always supported and backed me. When you have someone as a coach who believes in your ability, playing cricket becomes more enjoyable," said Samson.
He concluded:
"Normally when you play for India you are not sure of your role. But this time I was told three weeks in advance that I would be playing the series against Bangladesh as an opener. I was mentally prepared for the new role."
Apart from the 33 T20Is, Samson has also played 16 ODIs and averages an outstanding 56.66 at a strike rate of almost 100 in a start-stop nine-year international career.