MS Dhoni and I hail from places with no cricketing history: Sanju Samson

MS Dhoni made it big on the international stage and established himself as one of the greats. Hailing from Ranchi– a city not known for its cricket– Dhoni paved his way to becoming one of the most successful skippers in Indian history.

A young Dhoni from Ranchi steered India to the victory in the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa and didn’t look back from that point. Cricketers who’ve humble beginnings and eventually dominate at the highest level tend to inspire millions of people.

Sanju Samson, hailing from Kerala, a football-loving state, has also managed to hog the headlines by delivering on the biggest stage. Samson has still not cemented his spot in the national side but is certainly looked upon as one of the bright prospects in Indian cricket.

Dhoni bhai has inspired all of us: Sanju Samson

25-year-old Samson has revealed that Dhoni proved to be an inspiration right from his early days in international cricket. Samson’s comments come after Dhoni decided to announce his international retirement recently on August 15th.

“Yes, Dhoni bhai has inspired all of us from the day he came to play for India in the first match against Bangladesh and then scored that famous century against Pakistan,” Samson told Gulf News.

“His success provides extra motivation for me as he came from Ranchi to become one of the all-time greats of the game while I hail from Kerala – both places no cricketing history,” he added.

Dhoni will be seen in action for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020 but his international absence has now opened the gate for Rishabh Pant or Samson to prove their mettle while representing Team India.

Samson last played for India in January 2020, 5 years after he made his international debut. He is yet to deliver a memorable performance in the Indian jersey but he believes that he is headed in the right direction. With KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant in contention for the wicketkeeper slot, the Rajasthan Royals wicketkeeper doesn’t think about replacing anybody in the team.

“No, I don’t think of replacing anybody, all of us are trying to win matches for the country at the end of the day. I am just focusing on ultimately playing for my country,” Samson said.

“I have had a very good season in 2019 in domestic, India A and then for India. I have worked hard for the last 8-9 years in terms of my training, game and diet. At this point, I have a good 10 more years of cricket left in me and I will give it my best shot. I am headed in the right direction but have miles to go,” he added.