IPL 2022: I Felt Bad After Breaking My Bat: Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson has been around for close to 9 years in the IPL. He made his debut for Rajasthan Royals in 2013 when he was just 17. He impressed everyone with his skills in his first couple of years in the competition.
That earned him a call up to the Indian ODI side for the tour of England in 2014. Later in 2015, he was on a plane for a tour of Zimbabwe. He made his debut in T20 internationals on the tour. But he was later dropped from the Indian side. The rise of Rishabh Pant and the fall in form of Sanju Samson coincided and Sanju could not find a spot in the Indian team for another 5 years.
I Wanted To Go Back To Kerala: Sanju Samson
In a recent interview with Gaurav Kapoor on Breakfast With Champions, Samson revealed that after getting dropped from the Indian side, it was very hard to cope with the disappointment.
“I made my debut when I was 19 or 20, and when I was 25, I was again selected to play for the Indian team. Those five years was the most challenging time for me. I was even dropped from the Kerala side, and then you are facing a lot of doubt within yourself, thinking Sanju can you come back. If you are realistic and honest, you go through these phases”, Samson said on the show.
“In those five years, I used to get dismissed quite early, and on one of the occasions, I came in the dressing room after getting out, threw my bat, and left the stadium, while the match was going on. I was at Brabourne Stadium and thought I should leave cricket and return to my home, you take this bat and I am going back to Kerala,” added the Rajasthan Royals skipper.
Recalling an incident in Mumbai, he said, “I walked out to Marine Drive and was looking at the sea and thinking what’s going on. After sitting for two to four hours, I returned at night after the match got concluded and immediately looked at my bat, which was broken. I felt very bad and certainly should have hit the bat on the pillow.”
Samson since becoming the captain of RR has shown more maturity in his game and was recently part of the Indian side that played Sri Lanka in a T20 series. A good IPL season may prompt the selectors to have a look at him for the upcoming T20 WC in Australia.
