Sanju Samson eyes a spot in Indian Test team

After hitting that blistering hundred against Bangladesh in the third T20 in Hyderabad three days ago, Sanju Samson broadened his horizons and revealed his burning ambition to play Test cricket for India.

With the BCCI making it clear that all Indian team players must play domestic cricket when they are not on national duty, Samson will be playing Kerala’s second-round Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka at Alur, starting on Friday.

“Before the Duleep Trophy , the leadership group sent me a message saying that they were looking at me as a red-ball option too and asked me to play Ranji Trophy. The Duleep Trophy performance (scoring a hundred) helped. I believe that I can play all three formats. I don’t want to be restricted to white-ball cricket. I have the desire to play Tests for India. I played well in the Ranji Trophy before and I want to do well in the coming days as well,” the 29-year-old said at a media interaction in Thiruvananthapuram.

Samson also clarified that while discussions are ongoing regarding his batting slot, he is open to playing at any position. “I have trust in my ability and from No.1 to No.6, I have the skillset to bat anywhere.”

Samson admitted that he felt pressure after failing in Sri Lanka. “When you fail in a match and when you walk out to bat for the next, there will be tension. Even the great players have said that. So I felt that pressure when I went out to bat after scoring two ducks. While there is pressure on one side, on the other side I know what I can do in this format (T20) and have the confidence to deliver.”

He also praised the new captain-coach combo of Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir for building confidence amongst the players.

“Surya has great communication skills. He is straightforward and gives us role clarity. Every player in Team India is getting that clarity. He is supporting the players and backing them. Surya is doing a lot of things which a leader should do. Players enjoy that trust and they can perform well.”

Samson feels that Gambhir has backed him right from the time he took charge of the team. “Gautam said, you will have my support. I know the kind of player you are, and I have been seeing you for many years. You try to enjoy your batting. We are all there for you. Getting that kind of confidence from a coach is crucial for a player,” revealed Samson.