CT Exclusive- It's important to work hard on the field and get it right in the head: Sanju Samson

At 21 Sanju Samson has already earned himself a reputation for being an attacking batsman and an athletic wicketkeeper. He is a competitor, doesn’t like it easy and is working hard on his way to the top. Rahul Dravid has had a huge role to play in shaping him as a cricketer right from the time he was picked by the Rajasthan Royals back in 2013 as a teenager. He moved to the Delhi Daredevils with his mentor and now Dravid is also the coach of the India A team he plays for.

The Ranji Trophy 2016/17 started off on a positive note for the Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman as he scored 152 runs against Jammu & Kashmir in their opening game of the tournament but rain did a lot of damage to their chances while their bowlers did enough to bowl out J&K once and have them in trouble in the follow-on inning as well. “I am glad I got the hundred it’s always nice to start the season with a big knock,” Sanju said.

“The game was largely affected by rain, but despite that we came really close to winning it, our bowlers did a great job to bowl them out and we had four of their batsmen out in the second inning as well. The team is really happy with the way we have started and we are looking forward to the next game.”

Talking about Rahul Dravid and the impact he has had on him not just as a cricketer but on his personality as a whole the 21-year-old said, “Rahul Sir has been a great influence; there is so much to learn from him, not just about cricket but life overall. He has taught us to handle situations in a better way and respect our opposition. The boys enjoy his company and the youngsters in the India A team felt lucky to have someone like him as our coach. It’s a great feeling to have him guide us. We enjoy ourselves when he is around and that makes it so much fun.”

The Indian selectors picked a young team for the ODI series against New Zealand all set to start in a week’s time. After the selection meeting, MAK Prasad the chairman of selectors said Sanju Samson’s name was discussed but he couldn’t make a cut. This doesn’t disappoint the youngster but is rather motivated to do better and make his way into the team.

“It’s always encouraging to know that your name was discussed and I always believe when I will get my chance once I have done enough. My focus is to keep performing well and the call will come. I just want to ensure I am at my best when I am picked.” He added.

In a professional cricketers life there are occasions when things aren’t quite going his way and when the chips are down one needs people to fall back on and in Sanju’s case he doesn’t need to look far, his family has always done their best to back him and his friends like he says have always motivated him to do better.

“Fortunately I have a lot of good people in my life. My family, my friends have always been supportive, they always motivate me and tell me that I can do better. Whether I am performing well or not they have always been there to support me and it matter a lot.”

“My parents have sacrificed a lot of things to make sure my dream of playing cricket was fulfilled. I always feel grateful to them for everything they have done for me and to allow me to pursue my dreams on the cricket field.” Samson said.

He has represented the Men in Blue in a T20I against Zimbabwe, though is yet to make his ODI debut the Kerala boy looks up to MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and others to learn from their game. “I have learned a lot watching Dhoni Bhai (MS Dhoni) play, he has changed the way wicketkeeper-batsmen approached the game. Everyone in the Indian team Virat Bhai, Rohit Bhai, Ajinkya Bhai inspire a lot, there is so much to learn from the way they play and approach different situations.”

A few wicketkeepers have changed the way the game was played and Adam Gilchrist and MS Dhoni are the pioneers for the class of players in modern-day cricket. Sanju was inspired by the Australian in his early days and has been closely following Dhoni for the last few years. “To start with I watched a lot of Adam Gilchrist. But, as I grew up I have been following Dhoni Bhai he has been a great keeper-batsman. His style of wicketkeeping, the way he adapts to the game and how he responds to different events is superb. I always watch him play and there is always so much to learn from Dhoni Bhai.” He said.

Cricket is not just a game of bat and ball but one played in the mind, Samson agrees to it and said that he prefers to give both things equal importance and that has helped him. “I agree that working hard on the field is not the only way to do things, I believe in balancing both of it. I sweat it out on the field and at the same time focus on it in the mind to clear it out.” He concluded saying.