Competing with myself is what I like to do, says Sanju Samson

Ever since the Indian squad for the World T20 was announced, there has been a huge debate surrounding Sanju Samson’s exclusion from it. The 27-year-old though is ready to move past it as he gets ready to lead India A against New Zealand A in the three-match one-day series.

The wicketkeeper-batter has never had a consistent run in the national squad and when asked about it, felt it can be challenging at times.

Speaking here on Wednesday, Samson said, “finding a place in the Indian team is a challenging part for every individual. There is a lot of competition and I feel it is important to focus on yourself when these things happen. From a younger age, my coaches and parents have always told me to focus on myself. Competing with yourself is what I like to do. When you do that the rest of things take care of themselves.”

Explaining what he does when he gets overlooked for selection, the 27-year-old said, “One thing I have constantly worked on is doing different roles. I am very confident about batting anywhere between one to six. That is what I am specialising in and challenging myself. You don’t need to find a particular spot for yourself. You can’t say I am a finisher or an opener. Last three to four years, playing for my state, IPL, India A or India, I have been batting in different positions and that has given me a different dimension,”

On what keeps him motivated, Samson said, “the motivation is always there. Being a part of Indian cricket is not a small thing. We all know the standards we have set, the quality of cricket and the quality of our cricketers we have is unbelievable. So it helps every individual to appraise their level of the game so we keep on challenging ourselves and keep on performing in every opportunity we get.”