Sanju Samson not thinking about Team India selection

Sanju Samson has played only a solitary T20 International for India.

Sanju Samson | AFP

Indian wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson has insisted on Monday (27 August) that he has stopped thinking about national selection as it affects his game.

The Kerala lad further went on to claim that “a player will never be in the right frame of mind when he thinks about selection” which entirely affects his game, as well as, his chances for the national selection.  

Samson has been on the fringes of national selection ever since he was introduced by the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and has smacked stunning runs for Kerala in the domestic cricket, but three years on, and he played only T20 International for his country so far. On the other hand, Rishabh Pant has played only 24 First-Class games for Delhi, played in the U-19 World Cup, as well as, played three seasons of the IPL and made his Team India debut.

At the moment, he is part of the India A squad for the home Quadrangular series featuring Australia A and South Africa A, who thrashed the hosts by four wickets in the semi-final on Monday.

The 23-year-old scored 68 runs and took five catches in the three games that he played for India ‘A’ in the series and now they will take on Australia ‘A’ in the third-place decider on Wednesday, August 29.

Samson is known for his impressive knocks in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Ranji Trophy but he is yet to come into the reckoning for national selection despite having a decent outing in the last IPL and domestic circuit, though the keeper is not worried about his national selection.

As per reports in Press Trust of India, Samson told reporters while speaking to the media after India A’s match against South Africa A, “I have stopped thinking about the selection because when you think about it, your mind is not in the match and you are not in the right frame of mind.”

On being asked if at all he expects to get into the national side, Samson replied, “If you perform well, you are almost there. If I have a good season, there might be a chance. But it is better to forget about getting into the team, instead enjoy every game and keep doing well as batsman and wicketkeeper.”

Samson also admitted that there was pressure whenever he walks out to bat. He signed off by saying, “Obviously, there is pressure when you walk into bat, to think about inside the ground, rather than what is happening outside the ground.”

(with inputs from PTI)

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 28 Aug, 2018

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