India’s keeper-batter Sanju Samson has shared how inspiring it is for him and other young players to see Virat Kohli still scoring runs and performing for India at the international stage. Virat Kohli showcased his supremacy in the ODI format by smashing 139* against the West Indies in the first match of the series that took place on September 27 at Thiruvananthapuram.
Virat’s undefeated century and an excellent innings of 110 from Shubman Gill played a vital role in India scoring 296 runs in just 41.4 overs. This was his 55th ODI century and 86th ton in international cricket. During his knock, Kohli also became only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to achieve 15,000 runs in ODI cricket.
“I think we are very, very fortunate to have someone like him. Whenever he scores runs, whenever he turns out to practice or play a game of cricket for our country, I think it’s a great inspiration for people like us still playing the game in the Indian national team. Everyone playing alongside him definitely benefits from the way he puts in the performances. So, I’m very happy,” Samson said at the pre-match press conference ahead of India’s Asian Games semi-final against Sri Lanka in Nagoya.
Samson, who is coming off a very good T20I series against Afghanistan, also talked about the depth in Indian cricket. This was after India’s ODI side was facing the West Indies, the T20I side was in the Asian Games, the U19 side was facing Australia at home, and India A was also facing Australia A at home.
Samson attributed that strength not just to the Indian Premier League (IPL) but also to the country’s domestic cricket structure.
“It’s a known fact nowadays how strong Indian cricket has grown over the last so many years. There has been constant effort. Definitely, the IPL plays a huge role, but I feel our domestic cricket is also playing a huge role. We have been constantly making great efforts to go out and play all the domestic matches whenever we get a chance, and that’s where we tend to develop a lot of talent,” Samson concluded.
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