Explosive Indian batsman Sanju Samson missed out of place in India’s World T20 squad but that’s not at all in his mind as he is heading back to lead the Rajasthan Royals in the remaining part of the IPL 2021.
He called the idea of playing the IPL while having mind and heart over selection into the Indian team a “wrong mindset”. He rated IPL as “the most viewed tournament in the world” and hence emphasized that performances in the tournament will anyway lead to the selection into the senior side.
Samson has attracted criticism for not being consistent with the bat while his swashbuckling ability and fearless attitude have also earned him many supporters. He said that receiving both aspects of the game are “natural” and not necessarily associated with him only.
“First of all, when you’re playing for an IPL team and thinking about Indian selection, then it’s a wrong mindset. People do talk a lot about Indian selection and cementing your place but that is actually a by-product – if you perform, you get opportunities,” Samson told TOI.
“I think IPL is the most viewed tournament in the world. It will get you noticed. People do say good things about me and they also say other things as well. It’s natural for me now. Everyone is having that kind of pressure. And every one goes through that kind of pressure, knowing that so many people are waiting outside anyway. That’s the reason behind Indian cricket’s success.”
Samson was leading the Rajasthan Royals’ charge for the first time in his career after the franchise elevated him to captaincy before the tournament. He was looking in terrific touch and score a masterful hundred to go with other notable contributions before Covid-19 pulled the plug on the tournament.
He could well have amassed runs in excess of 500 runs if the tournament would have run its course got into the Indian team but the factor of inconsistency in the previous editions would have gone against him in terms of selection in the squad for the T20 World Cup.