Snubbed For ODI World Cup, Sanju Samson Breaks Silence On 'Mental Challenge'

23.12.2023 - 07:44 sports.ndtv.com

India wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson revealed that the past three-four months have been mentally challenging for him but he kept at it by working on himself and bounced back by scoring his maiden ODI ton.

Samson was overlooked for the ODI World Cup in India with selectors preferring to go with the likes of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav despite the Kerala batter averaging 55.7 with a strike rate of 104 in 13 ODI innings. "The last three, four months were challenging for me mentally," Sanju said after the 78-run win on Thursday. "So going through all that and coming here I think doing what I did today, I think I feel really happy and grateful." Samson was also not picked for the Asian Games, indicating that he is really low in the selectors' pecking order.

On Thursday, however, he took things in his own hand and scored his maiden ODI century to help India win the third game and clinch the series 2-1 against South Africa. "I've been blessed in my genes.

My father is also a sportsman, so how much ever setbacks you have, I think there's always no other way to come back and bounce back...

cricket South Africa Cricket Team India Cricket Team South Africa vs India cup on Sanju Samson South Africa India

The first T20I of the three-match series between India and Afghanistan will be played on Thursday in Mohali. This series will be both special and crucial as skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli are making a comeback in the shortest format, after a hiatus of more than a year. However, Kohli will be missing out on the first game, due to personal reasons. This series will be a great preparation for India as it will be their last T20Is before the T20 World Cup in June. The likes of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah have rested for this series after a terrific outing against South Africa in the Tests.

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Team India will be squaring off against Afghanistan in the first T20I of the three-match series on Thursday in Mohali. Skipper Rohit Sharma, who will be playing first T20I match since World Cup 2022, will be leading the side. However, star batter Virat Kohli, who was also returning to the shortest format along with Rohit, pulled out of the first game, due to personal reasons. Apart from this duo, this series will also mark a comeback of wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson in T20I cricket.

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Team India will be taking on Afghanistan in the first T20I of the three-match series on Thursday in Mohali. The hosts will be led by skipper Rohit Sharma, who is making his comeback in the shortest format. Star batter Virat Kohli is also returning to T20I cricket but will be missing out on the first game, due to personal reasons. Apart from them, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has also been named in the squad while star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been rested. Team India will be putting its best foot forward as this series will be preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will kick-start in June.

Sanju Samson Gives Rajasthan Royals Cap To Specially Abled Fan. Gesture Wins Hearts - Watch

Indian cricket team wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson won hearts with a brilliant gesture during the Ranji Trophy match between Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. After the day's play, Samson went to meet the attending fans and posed for pictures with them. In a video shared by Rajasthan Royals on X (formerly called Twitter), Sanju was seen giving a RR cap to a specially-abled fan and then he posed for pictures with him and other spectators. The video earned him a lot of praise and has already gone viral on social media.

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Sanju Samson Swaps Cricket Bat With Football Boots. Video Takes Internet By Storm

Fresh from scoring his maiden ODI century, India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson was seen playing football during a local tournament in Kerala. Earlier this month, Samson scored his first hundred for India in the third and final ODI against South Africa at the Boland Park in Paarl, helping India win the series by a 2-1 margin. Current not part of the Indian team for the ongoing Test series against the Proteas, Samson is enjoying his time away from the sport by playing football at a local tournament in Kerala.