Sanju: 'Ready To Bat At No. 9 For India'

'When you wear that Indian jersey, you can't say no to anything.'

Sanju Samson

IMAGE: Nine years after he first made his India debut, Sanju Samson finally made it count with three centuries in eight innings against Bangladesh and South Africa last year. Photograph: BCCI

Wicket-keeper-batter Sanju Samson says he is ready to bat at No. 9 or even bowl a few overs of spin to secure his place in the Indian team.

Sanju, who completed a decade in international cricket earlier this year, was moved down the order for the Asia Cup to accommodate Shubman Gill despite hitting three centuries in eight innings in T20 Internationals.

Sanju took time to adjust to batting lower down the order but delivered a crucial knock of 24 in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, while also taking two catches with the gloves.

'When you wear that Indian jersey, you can't say no to anything. I have really worked very hard to wear that jersey, and more importantly, to stay in that dressing room. I take a lot of pride in doing a job for my country,' said Samson, 30, after being named the CEAT Men's T20 Batter of the Year at the CEAT Cricket Ratings on Tuesday.

'So even if they want to bat me at No. 9, maybe bowl some left-arm spin, I am happy to do that as well, whatever job for the country, I think I don't mind.'

Samson played his first match for India, in a T20I against Zimbabwe in July 2015 before being sidelined for nearly five years. He made a comeback in the T20I series at home against Sri Lanka in January 2020.

However, he struggled to cement his place in the Indian team for the next few years. The tide turned with Gautam Gambhir's appointment as head coach as Samson not only got the much needed backing from the team management but also earned a long run as opener.

After a few setbacks initially, he finally made it count with three centuries in eight innings against Bangladesh and South Africa last year.

'I just recently completed 10 years of international cricket but I played only 40 games in those 10 years. Honestly, I put in a post that number don't tell you the whole story," Samson said.

'I am really proud of the person I am today, I am really proud of the challenges which I went through as a person,' he added.

'I started my journey when I was 19 when I was first picked for my country and till now I am playing for that. Definitely, you grow as a player and you grow as a person and you learn a lot about your own self. So instead of focussing on the outside noise, I started a focussing on my internal noise.'