There has never been a doubt about Sanju Samson’s talent. He has it in abundance but in the past, he hasn’t been able to grab his opportunities with both hands. The flamboyant batter used to play a couple of eye-catching knocks in the IPL and then drift away.
Consistency has been his biggest foe but in IPL 2024, Samson showed he can put in match-winning performances one after the other. Samson scored 531 runs in 15 innings at an average of 48.27 and a strike rate of 153.46, with five half-centuries. Thus, he played a key role in taking RR to the playoffs but they lost the second qualifier against SRH.
Samson revealed how he remained focused on his game as he switched off his phone for two to three months. The Kerala batter admitted he needed to put in the hard yards to be picked in India’s T20 World Cup squad.
Sanju Samson said on Star Sports, “It (World Cup selection) was very emotional one. It was something which I didn’t expect much actually to be very honest. I knew that I was not very close to being selected. I knew that I had to do something really special in this IPL to get there. That’s where I decided. I have to put my phone away. I think I am totally cut out from my phone. My phone is off from last 2-3 months.”
“I have to completely focus on my game. I have to completely give myself the best chance to go out there and perform and win games for my team, so that it can help me get into the Indian team for the World Cup. Getting selected to the world’s best T20 team and that also for a World Cup actually deserves something special,” the Indian stumper went on to add.
Samson is optimistic that he can play an instrumental role in the success of the national team in the upcoming T20I showpiece.
“I knew I had it in me. It’s all about believing in my own self, believing that things can change, believing that if I do justice to my own talent, to my own potential.”
“I think I can be really useful for my country as well on the world’s biggest stage. I think I am ready for it and I really feel that I can contribute well for my country,” the RR skipper asserted.
India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 5th.
