Shot selection is one of the things I need to work on, says Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson revealed that budding cricketers need not place themselves under a magnifying glass at all times as he claimed that one mustn’t keep finding flaws in their style of play. Samson had a productive outing with Rajasthan Royals in this year’s IPL where he scored 342 runs from 12 matches.
Sanju Samson has been one of the mainstay players in the Rajasthan Royals dressing room since he made his league debut back in 2013. Since then, the Kerala-born batsman has racked up a total of 2209 runs from 93 IPL matches having impressed in recent years, while also making his India debut in the limited-overs format.
In a recent interview with Indian Express, Samson has expressed his concern over the amount of pressure placed on budding cricketers in the domestic leagues. The talented middle-order batter claimed that there was no need for players to constantly find faults in their game.
“It is okay to fail. I am more realistic now. If you don’t have a major fault, don’t find a fault. You have to relax. You need to have a cheat meal once a month, you need a holiday. You need to stay fresh.
“I was upset that I didn’t make a double hundred,” Samson says. “When you set standards too high, it happens. I scored a century in the first game (at Kalyani) and in three matches, I failed. I got worked up. I got out to a straight ball bowled at 110 kmph at Brabourne. I decided that I am not going to play anymore. I just walked out of the stadium and it was a different level of frustration. If you are not in a good frame of mind, you end up doing things you regret,” Samson said in an interview with Indian Express.
Samson, who made his India debut in 2015 in a T20I, added that he is working towards controlling his aggression with smart shot selection and improve his timing on the ball while batting in crunch situations.
“Shot selection has been one of the things I need to work on. Learning about the conditions has been really important for me during these last two years. If I want to play a shot over cover, I need to know if I can play it on a turner. I’ve improved a lot by watching the game on TV. I’d never invested time to watch cricket on TV earlier. But of late, I have really enjoyed watching the World Cup, and you understand how players are taking decisions on the field.
“After last year’s IPL, I met Dhoni and asked him what he thinks I need to work on. He told me that cricketing sense is important and that comes when you observe a cricket match and watch closely what the captain is doing and how a bowler is trying to get a batsman out. It was fascinating to watch the way Kane Williamson was able to read the pitch and play accordingly. Being able to read match situations in the middle is very important,” Samson concluded.