'You should not fix a spot for yourself' - Sanju Samson talks about importance of being flexible in roles

Sanju Samson was a surprise absentee from India's 15-member squad for the upcoming 2022 T20 World Cup. The wicketkeeper-batter made his international debut in 2015 but has been limited to only seven ODIs and sixteen T20Is so far. Both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik have been selected ahead of Samson despite their below-average performance in the recent T20I matches.

But instead of blaming management, Samson has pointed out the level of competition to find a place in the current Indian team. He stated that it's really challenging to get into the national team but he is focusing only on himself and want to improve further.

"It really does get challenging. Finding a place in the Indian team is really challenging. There is a lot of competition around, even within players who are in the team now. When these things happen, it is important to focus on myself. I am happy with the way I am performing. I want to improve...," Samson was quoted s saying by The Week.

I am confident of batting anywhere in the order: Sanju Samson

The 27-year-old batter has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL). But never got a good run in the national team so far. Unlike Samson, Pant has been given regular chances in the last few years despite scoring only 934 runs in 58 T20Is at an average of 23.94 and a poor strike rate of 126.21. 

Samson also added that playing different roles in the last few years has helped him to add a new dimension to his game. He has been equally impressive as a top-order batter or a game finisher in the recent IPL seasons. He stated that player should not fix a spot for themselves and need to be more flexible in playing in different roles.

"Playing different roles is something I have worked on for a lot of years. I am confident of batting anywhere in the order. You should not fix a spot for yourself. You cannot tell people: 'I am an opener or I am a finisher'. In the last three-four years, playing in various roles and spots (in order) has added a new dimension to my game," Samson added.

Meanwhile, Samson has been appointed to lead India A team in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand A starting on Thursday (September 22) in Chennai. Apart from him, Rahul Tripathi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prithvi Shaw, Kuldeep Yadav, and Umran Malik are also part of India A squad. Samson highlighted that competition is almost same for India A squad andcr it will be a good opportunity for the fringe players to prove their worth.

"They (India A games) are really important. There is not much difference between an A game and international game. The competition is almost the same. So, it is important to make use of the opportunities," Samson concluded.