Sanju Samson revealed that the Team India leadership group has told him to play more Ranji Trophy matches as they consider trying him in the Test format. Samson, who made his white-ball debut for India in 2015, has yet to play a Test. In 64 first-class matches, Samson scored 3819 runs at an average of 38.96, including 11 centuries. He recently smashed a century in the Duleep Trophy match to grab the attention of the fans and selectors to consider him for a Test call-up.
Samson has earned marquee status in the IPL but is yet to make a mark in the Indian colours. The 29-year-old wicketkeeper, who made his debut in 2015, has been in and out of the Indian setup and is striving hard to establish himself as a mainstay for the Indian team. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirements have given him another chance to cement his place in the T20I set-up.
He got backing from new coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Suryakumar Yadav as he finally delivered big in the third T20I against Bangladesh, where he smashed a 40-ball century in Hyderabad.
Samson has now expressed his desire to play Test cricket for India and said that the leadership group communicated with him before the Duleep Trophy to play more Ranji Trophy matches.
“I believe I have the skillset to succeed in red ball cricket and I just don’t want myself to be restricted to just white ball cricket. My desire is to play Test cricket for India. Before the Duleep Trophy, the leadership group had told me that they were considering me for red ball cricket and asked me to take it seriously and play more Ranji Trophy matches,” Samson said on Sportstar.
The third T20I between India and Bangladesh witnessed a rare sight where another batter outshined a full-flowing Suryakumar Yadav in the same innings – Samson, who bludgeoned 8 sixes and 11 fours.
Samson trained with Rahul Dravid after Sri Lanka tour
Samson talked about how working with former India head coach Rahul Dravid at RR Academy and a century in the Duleep Trophy helped him boost his confidence for the Bangladesh T20Is.
“My preparation was good this time around. After the series against Sri Lanka I trained at the RR Academy with Rahul Dravid Sir and Zubin Bharucha and worked on my game. The century in the Duleep Trophy has given me a lot of confidence as it came against some of the best bowlers in the country,” he added.
