Sanju Samson (Screengrab/@BCCI)
Sanju Samson didn’t get any opportunity at the 2024 T20 World Cup as Rishabh Pant was preferred as the first-choice wicketkeeper.
India batter Sanju Samson has faced enough turbulence in his international career spanning nearly a decade. Since his debut in 2014, Samson has represented his country in 46 matches across the white-ball formats. Despite having impressive numbers in domestic cricket, the 29-year-old has never found a permanent spot in the Indian team. He has been called up for several bilateral assignments but has failed to make the most of those opportunities.
The top highlight of his career came earlier this year when Samson featured at the T20 World Cup and became the champion. The Rajasthan Royals captain admitted the same during a recent interview.
“The last 3-4 months have been the best of my career. Being part of the World Cup team is like a dream come true—something I desired 3-4 years ago. My wish was to play in my last ODI World Cup. However, it was only after joining the team and winning the Twenty20 World Cup that I realised it wasn’t an easy task,” Sanju Samson told Zee.
Samson didn’t get any opportunity at the ICC event as Rishabh Pant was preferred as the first-choice wicketkeeper. Samson earned a call-up for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka which also marked India’s first assignment under head coach Gautam Gambhir.
ALSO READ | ‘Want To Play For India In All Three Formats’: Suryakumar Yadav Aims To Make Test Comeback
The Men in Blue, led by Suryakumar Yadav, wrapped up the series with a 3-0 whitewash. Samson featured in the last two T20Is and returned with a duck on both occasions. “I didn’t perform as expected in the last series against Sri Lanka,” he acknowledged.
Despite being an irregular face in the Indian team, Sanju Samson has a massive, dedicated fanbase across the country. Whenever he was dropped from the squad in the past, these people showed their support for the talented batter.
Referring to the topic, Samson said, “The support I’ve received from people across the country, as well as from Malayalis from New Zealand to the West Indies, is amazing. Other team members often say that wherever I go, I have incredible support. That’s why they feel disappointed when I don’t make it into the team or when I get out for a duck.”
Sanju Samson has played 16 ODIs for India and has aggregated 510 runs including one century and three fifties. He has recorded 444 runs at an average of 19.30 in his 30 appearances in the shortest format.
