Sanju Samson opens up on handling criticism and backing of team management

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Indian batter Sanju Samson admitted that outside noise impacts him on a human level, but added that experience has helped him block it out and focus on his cricket. His comments came after India secured a seven-wicket victory against Afghanistan in the second T20I, taking a 2-0 series lead in the three-match series.

Reflecting on the challenges of representing the national side and the tough selection decisions that come with it, Samson backed the team management’s decisions, citing young prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s inclusion as a prime example of putting the team first.

Talking about the challenges of playing for the Indian team, Samson cited Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as an example, after the teenage star scored loads of runs in the IPL and got selected in the national team.

“As I said earlier, scoring runs for the Indian team isn’t an easy task. You see a young guy (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi) coming in after scoring 700-800 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL). I had played a tournament prior to that, but then Sooryavanshi performed so well that he had to be brought into the side one way or another. I hadn’t performed in two or three games while he was in great form, and since we wanted to win that series, the decision made perfect sense from a leadership perspective,” Samson explained.  

Sanju Samson on communication with team management

Samson also praised head coach Gautam Gambhir for open communication during the recent series, praising the leadership group’s commitment to making tough choices.

“Communication with GG (Gautam Gambhir) bhai was very important. We communicated a lot during the England T20I series and even before this current series started; he came and spoke to me extensively. Making tough decisions isn’t easy; taking the popular decision is the easiest thing to do. But as a leadership group, we’ve been making some really tough calls by always putting the team first. That is where credit is due to our team’s leadership group.” Samson said.

Addressing public scrutiny and social media chatter, Samson admitted that he tries his best to stay away from the internet, but it is not easy.

“I try to turn off the Wi-Fi. But sometimes the Wi-Fi turns on, and comments are visible, and some senior player says something. So I think I have been mature enough and experienced enough to handle it. At first, it feels a little bad, man; I’m not a machine, actually; we are not robots,” he concluded.

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