India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has reacted to his ODI snub despite scoring a century in his last match, saying he prefers to stay positive and focus on the things he can control.
Sanju Samson couldn’t find a place in India’s ODI squad that toured Sri Lanka in June despite his scintillating 108 in his previous match in the format, in South Africa last December. The snub didn’t sit well with many, who accused the management of mistreating him.
Samson falling out of Gautam Gambhir’s scheme of things in his maiden assignment as India's head coach has baffled some, as the latter once hailed him as the “best young batsman in India”.
During the launch of the inaugural season of the Kerala Cricket League, Samson opened up about his ouster from the ODI team when asked about it. He claimed to have a positive outlook towards it.
"I will just go and play whenever they select it. That's it! End of the day, our team is doing well. I am the kind of person who believes in a higher purpose. I just try to take things positively under controllable circumstances and put up the efforts," stated Samson.
India's last pink ball game against Australia was during the 2020-21 tour, where they were infamously bowled out for 36 in Adelaide.
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Samson was part of the 15-member India squad that won the 2024 T20 World Cup. Though he warmed the bench for the entire tournament, he called the triumph a “dream come true” moment. He was also candid about not performing well in the T20I leg of the Sri Lanka tour, where he made two ducks in two innings.
"The last three-four months have been the best of my career. Being part of the World Cup team is like a dream come true – something I desired three-four 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 realized it wasn't an easy task. But in the last series against Sri Lanka, I didn't perform as expected.”
Chances have been scarce for Samson ever since he made his debut in 2015, with him playing only 46 matches (16 ODIs and 30 T20Is) in a nearly decade-long career. His 510 runs in ODIs have come at an average of 56.66 and strike rate touching a hundred, sparking a question of whether he should be a more regular feature in the team.
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