Wicketkeeper batter Sanju Samson has revealed that the team management has asked him to take up the finisher’s role which is a reason he has been batting at number 5 and 6 in recent times. Samson missed out on a place in the T20 World Cup squad but he has been selected for the ongoing ODI series against South Africa. The wicketkeeper batter has scored consistently well this year in Indian colours but the selectors picked Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant over him for the T20 WC.
Samson has been in and out of the team for the past couple of years as he hasn’t been able to cement a place in the set-up. With a jam-packed top-order, it’s difficult for Samson to find a place there in the Indian team, while players like Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer have also become certainties in the middle-order. With Hardik Pandya being the only designated finisher in the ODI team, Samson has been asked to take up that role by the team management.
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The 28-year-old said that he has been practising different roles for the team and trying to learn from players who donned the finisher’s role in the past.
“I have been practising for different roles. I’ve put in time in the last two years in different teams and to adapt to roles. I’ve been instructed to take up the finisher’s role in the past year. I’ve been learning from players who’ve done it before and am bringing it to my game." Samson told Star Sports ahead of the third ODI against South Africa
“Physically I have been doing a lot of top-order batting, but mentally I am trying to understand the game and how to react according to the situation, a lot of learning has gone into this. It’s important to keep the focus on the process, that has been the talk in the team meetings," he added.
Samson has been in tremendous form in the ongoing ODI series against the Proteas as he slammed unbeaten 86 runs in the first match to take the game to the final over, however, India ended up on the losing side. He also scored crucial 30* runs in the second match as India levelled the series 1-1.
“After the first game, we had a positive meeting despite the result. The management were supportive and talked to us about how special we are and instilled confidence," Samson added.
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