After scoring a game-winning 57 runs off 22 balls in the second game of the three-match series against Afghanistan on Tuesday, Sanju Samson spoke to the competition for the opening spot in the Indian T20I lineup.
The right-handed batsman went on to say that he is aware of the challenge facing the team’s management, which includes head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shreyas Iyer, and how they have an abundance of options. Samson and Abhishek Sharma opened the first two T20Is against Afghanistan, but Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who had won Player of the Series against Zimbabwe, was benched.
Samson failed to get going in the opener, hitting 10 runs off eight balls, but he answered his critics in style, slamming a blistering half-century in the second T20I, helping India grab an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Samson On Opening Slot Competition
“I think they (Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma) are competitors for the outside world, but we are a team, and we are playing for a country. We want to win the game first, and then it comes down to the other individuals. We can’t sulk or be in a negative frame of mind, thinking, ‘Yaar, mujhe nahi mila, usko kyun diya.’ Those kinds of mindsets don’t work here,” Samson told reporters in the post-match press conference.
Samson also made a cheeky comment about how he disregards outside criticism on the team selection. “I try to switch the Wi-Fi off. But sometimes the Wi-Fi gets switched on, and comments become visible. Some senior player says something. So I think it’s very normal. Definitely, outside noise does affect cricketers in India. But you need to be very clear about your mindset, how you need to prepare, and the mindset you need to play with,” he added while talking about the outside noice.
Samson was dropped earlier after failing to ignite the stage in the two T20Is against Ireland and one against England, despite winning Player of the Tournament for the T20 World Cup. Samson was given his spot back for the fifth and final game against England after Sooryavanshi was tried for three games.
Samson On Dealing With Stress
who scored 151 runs in three games, wreaked havoc after Samson was left off the squad for the Zimbabwe series. Samson said after the victory over Afghanistan that he has grown up and developed his ability to cope with stress.
“I think I have been mature enough and experienced enough to know how to handle it. Earlier, it used to hurt a little. I’m not a machine. We are not robots, that we can say, ‘No, it doesn’t affect me.’ Definitely, it affects you,” said .
“If I paid attention to those things, I couldn’t bat like this. Before hitting a shot, I would think ten times, ‘Yaar, out ho gaya toh phir Wi-Fi problem ho jayega.’ So instead, I tell myself, ‘Koi baat nahi’,” he added.