As the T20 World Cup approaches, Sanju Samson’s inclusion in the Indian squad has taken the cricketing circles by storm. Former Indian cricketer, Gautam Gambhir believes it is now time for the wicketkeeper-batter to step up his game and shine in national colours.
Speaking in an interview with Sportskeeda Cricket, the T20 World Cup winner, revealed that it doesn’t take too much time to see the quality in a player and Samson has to now take his game forward to win matches for the country like he has done for his franchise in the Indian Premier League. With all the experience under his belt, it is high time for the Indian international to showcase his potential on the biggest stage.
Despite not being at his best when playing for the Indian team, Sanju has taken his game to a new level in the ongoing edition of the IPL where he has shown the ability to bat while reading the game to take the momentum away from the opposition and lead Rajasthan Royals to the playoffs under his leadership. Gambhir now believes that with enough experience under his belt, he should now be able to step up and do the same for the country. z
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Gambhir said, “Sanju has the ability and now he has the opportunity. If he does get the chance to play in the World Cup, make sure to win the games for the country. You’re no longer a newbie and now, you’ve tasted international cricket and done well in the IPL and now you have the opportunity to play in the World Cup”.
The former India international believes that delivering in a tournament as big as the World Cup will be crucial if Samson is to solidify his spot in the national side for a longer period as the entire world takes notice of your performances in the marquee tournaments.
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“Hopefully, Sanju can showcase his ability at that stage. When you do show what you’re about in a tournament like the World Cup, the entire world notices,” said the former India opener.
Gambhir reckons that the additional responsibility of leading the Royals has led to Samson improving his game. He believes that as the captain you should be responsible for reading the game correctly and this ability will also aid in improving his batting skills as well which will prolong their career in the long run.
“Mentally you do always grow up. Skill-wise also you keep improving every year. If you’re stagnant then you might not be able to survive at the top-level for long. The good thing is that be it fitness, power-hitting or even captaincy, I believe that as you become a better captain you can read the game better and also improve your batting as a result. I hope that leadership experience reflects on his batting. The better you read the various situations the better chances you have to perform,” he concluded.
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For India, Rohit Sharma’s side will look to put the woes from the ODI World Cup behind them and aim to continue a similar brand of cricket for the shortest format and potentially lift the trophy that has eluded them since 2007.
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