Sanju Samson has been widely dubbed as one of the most talented batters since his debut in top-flight cricket. He regaled everyone with his effortless batting shows in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and then made his India debut in 2015.
But since then, he has never been able to cement his place in the side as since then, he has played 6 ODIs and 16 T20Is for the Men in Blue side. He is often criticized for not cashing in his chances and for getting out after playing some good and eye-pleasing shots.
But recently, he has rectified that issue as he scored his maiden T20I fifty- 77 against Ireland and also his maiden ODI fifty, 54 against the West Indies.
Even in the ongoing three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, Samson earned a Player of the Match award in the second ODI for his rapid 43* and 3 catches behind the stumps.
Despite playing only a handful of matches for India, the 27-year-old is surprised by the amount of love he is receiving from the fans.
“I feel surprised [on his fan following] that despite playing very little for India, I get good support. I feel there are a lot more Malayalis as I hear cheers of ‘Chetta, Chetta’ which makes me feel proud. I was really pumped up to be there in a pressure situation and they were also bowling well. I really enjoyed the time in the middle,'” he told the broadcaster before the third ODI.
On playing only a handful of games for India despite making his debut seven years ago. he said:” I am a believer that whatever you go through in your career, you have to take it in a positive manner. I really enjoyed playing domestic cricket in the last four-five years. It is challenging to do well there and that has made me a better player.”
Samson feels that captaining the Rajasthan Royals franchise in the IPL has changed his outlook on the game.
“It has changed my perspective towards cricket. Earlier I used to think only about my batting, my game. Captaincy helps bring about a different mindset – think about others as well apart from your game,” he said.
(Sony Sports inputs)
