New Delhi: India's star batter Sanju Samson has opened up on getting dropped from the ODI team for the recently concluded Sri Lanka series despite smashing his maiden international century in the only series team India played in the 50-over format.
Samson, who was not part of the ODI World Cup 2023, smashed a stunning ton in the second ODI of the three-match series against South Africa in the rainbow nation in December last year.
The 26-year-old Samson was the part of T20I squad for Sri Lanka but wasn't included in the ODI series as KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, who didn't play in the format since his car mishap in December 2022, were preferred as the wicketkeeper-batters. Samson had disappointing outings in the T20I series, registering a couple of ducks in both matches he played.
In the recent media interaction with the media, after the conclusion of the Sri Lanka tour, Samson asserted that he doesn't overthink things, especially about selection matters, but instead tries to focus on things that he can control.
"When they call me to play, I go and play. If not, it's okay. I don't overthink it. The team is doing well, so there's no issue. I prefer to stay positive and focus on what I can control. I put maximum effort into my practice and hard work, which is improving my game. I want my career to move forward, so I concentrate on improving my game and focusing on what's within my control," he said.
However, the right-hand batter mentioned that the last three-four months have been the best of his career. Samson, who hails from Kerala, was part of the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning team and was a wicketkeeper-batter with the most runs (531) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. However, it is worth noting that he didn't get a chance to play in any match in the World Cup.
“The last 3-4 months have been the best of my career. Being part of the World Cup team is like a dream come true, something I desired 3-4 years ago. My wish was to play in my last ODI World Cup. However, it was only after joining the team and winning the Twenty20 World Cup that I realized it wasn’t an easy task. But in the last series against Sri Lanka, I didn’t perform as expected,” Samson said.
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