Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson opened up on the emotional journey leading up to his selection in India's 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup, slated to be held in the West Indies and USA from June 1 to June 29.

Samson disclosed that he has avoided using his phone for the past 2–3 months to focus entirely on cricket, aiming to secure a spot in the T20I side.

During the IPL 2024 campaign, where RR made it to the playoffs, Samson aggregated 531 runs in 15 innings at an average of 48.27 and a strike rate of 153.47. He finished as the fifth highest run-scorer in the tournament.

Having made his India debut in 2015, Sanju Samson has failed to establish himself in any of the three formats. However, the 29-year-old impressed everyone with his batting and leadership exploits in the recently-concluded IPL. As a result, he was rewarded with a place in India’s T20 World Cup squad.

"It [World Cup selection] was very emotional one. It was something which I didn't expect much actually to be very honest. I knew that I was not very close to being selected. I knew that I had to do something really special in this IPL to get there. That's where I decided, I have to put my phone away. I think I am totally cut out from my phone. My phone is off from last 2-3 months. I have to completely focus on my game. I have to completely give myself the best chance to go out there and perform and win games for my team, so that it can help me get into the Indian team for the World Cup. Getting selected to the world's best T20 team and that also for a World Cup actually deserves something special," Samson said in a video shared by Star Sports.

After clearing the selection hurdle, Sanju Samson is also confident of doing well in the forthcoming ICC tournament. He has featured in 16 ODIs and 25 T20Is so far, amassing 510 and 374 runs at an average of 56.66 and 18.70 respectively.

"I knew I had it in me. It's all about believing in my own self, believing that things can change, believing that if I do justice to my own talent, to my own potential… I think I can be really useful for my country as well on the world's biggest stage. I think I am ready for it and I really feel that I can contribute well for my country," he remarked.

India’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign is scheduled to get underway on June against Ireland in New York.