IND v BAN 2019: "It has been a roller-coaster ride," Samson reflects on his journey as he returns to India set-up

Sanju Samson has been picked to play the T20Is versus Bangladesh.

Sanju Samson | AFP

Rated highly by many but not consistent enough to be picked. For a while, it seemed that a T20I outing with Zimbabwe in 2015 will remain Sanju Samson's only game for India. But on Thursday (October 24), following an up and down journey, with some outstanding recent form behind him, the prodigious right-hander from Kerala was finally selected again in India's squad for the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh. 

Samson made 410 runs in eight games at an average of 58.57 with a best of an unbeaten 212 versus Goa in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019. 

"You rightly said it has been a roller-coaster ride for me," the 24-year-old told PTI. "If you have a very safe and easy career there are very less things you will learn. I have learnt a lot in the last four to five years."

WATCH: Highlights of Sanju Samson's magnificent double ton for Kerala

"If you have failed a lot of times then you know how to rise up and how to succeed. I have failed a lot of times in my life so I know how to stand up and perform. That has been a blessing."

While Samson is back, it is the frequency of performances that will decide how long he can stay there. It is something that has been an issue with him. However, the youngster says: "I don’t have any regrets. As I said I have gone through a lot of ups and downs. I had lots of high expectations about myself that I should have performed much better than what I did."

"That I should have got into the team much before, but lately, I understood that everything has its own time and you have to be patient for your turn. I have been doing that and have become a better person in the process."

"Have really enjoyed my tough times, to be honest. I have understood who all are with me genuinely and who are not," he added. 

Samson also said he is mentally in a really good space at the moment and that will certainly come in handy. "Mentally and technically many changes have happened in the last five years. I have understood my game a lot more, a lot abut myself as a person."

"I have worked on my strengths and not tried to be the perfect batsman that I tried be for a long time. I understood that no one can be a perfect batsman. Now I keep it simple and enjoy my cricket," he said. 

Once left out of the India A squad on failing the yo-yo test, Samson said he has worked really hard over his fitness in the last year and a half. 

"I have been following my fitness like religion for the past two-three years. There are many ideas which come from different people, physios and trainers talk to you. They give you a schedule and you try to follow it. Then going for the yo yo was completely different for me," he concluded.

(Inputs from PTI) 

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 25 Oct, 2019

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