NEW DELHI: Sanju Samson has spent years learning to live with the scrutiny that comes with playing for India. On Tuesday, after his 57 off 22 balls against Afghanistan in the second T20I, he admitted that the noise from outside does get through — even if his preferred response is to switch it off.
“I try to switch the Wi-Fi off. But sometimes the Wi-Fi gets switched on and comments become visible,” Samson said after India’s seven-wicket win. “Some senior player says something. So I think it’s very normal.”
Samson’s innings, in which 52 of his 57 runs came in boundaries, came at a time when his place at the top of India’s T20I order is under scrutiny. The emergence of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has added another layer to the competition for the two opening slots alongside Abhishek Sharma. Sooryavanshi had impressed on India’s recent tour of Zimbabwe, while Samson had been left out of that series after failing to convert his opportunities in the preceding Ireland, England series.
“Definitely, outside noise does affect cricketers in India,” Samson said. “But you need to be very clear about what your mindset is, how you need to prepare and what mindset you need to play with.”
“I think I have been mature enough and experienced enough to know how to handle it. Earlier, it used to hurt a little. I’m not a machine. We are not robots that we can say, ‘No, it doesn’t affect me.’ Definitely, it affects you,” he said.
“If I paid attention to those things, I couldn’t bat like this,” Samson said. “Before hitting a shot, I would think ten times, ‘Yaar, out ho gaya toh phir Wi-Fi problem ho jayega.’ So instead, I tell myself, ‘Koi baat nahi.'”
That mindset has become particularly important as Samson finds himself competing for a place with a teenager who has rapidly forced his way into the conversation. Samson, however, said he does not view Sooryavanshi as a rival within the dressing room.
“I think they (Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma) are competitors for the outside world, but we are a team and we are playing for a country,” he said. “We want to win the game first, and then it comes down to the other individuals.”
Samson also said his experience as an IPL captain has helped him understand why difficult selection calls have to be made. He acknowledged that the management has a difficult task in choosing between players who are all performing, while stressing that individuals have to remain ready for their opportunities rather than dwell on selection decisions.
“We can’t sulk or be in a negative frame of mind, thinking, ‘Yaar, mujhe nahi mila, usko kyun diya.’ Those kinds of mindsets don’t work here,” he said.
