Sanju Samson breaks silence on competition with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for opening slot: ‘Can’t get negative and sulk'

“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. We want to win the game first, and then it comes down to the other individuals. 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,” Samson told reporters in the post-match press conference.

Samson also had a cheeky take on how he ignores the outside noise about the team selection. Speaking about the opinions of people, the batter said, "I try to switch the Wi-Fi off. But sometimes the Wi-Fi gets switched on, and comments become visible. Some senior player says something. So I think it’s very normal.”

“Definitely, outside noise does affect cricketers in India. But you need to be very clear about your mindset, how you need to prepare, and the mindset you need to play with,” he added.

However, Samson was then kept out of the squad for the Zimbabwe series, and this led to Sooryavanshi wreaking havoc, scoring 151 runs in three games.

The right-hander said he understood why Sooryavanshi was included in the playing XI after he failed in the games, adding that running the Indian team is no easy task.

“As I said before, playing for the Indian team and scoring runs is not an easy thing. You are seeing a 15-year-old boy who has come after scoring 700-800 runs. I had another tournament before that. After that, they had such a good performance, and he had to come in in some other manner,” said Samson.

“I didn’t perform in two to three games, and he was in form. We wanted to win games in that series, and it was very understandable from a leadership point of view,” he added

After the win against Afghanistan, Samson also added that he has matured over time and learned how to handle pressure.

"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,” said Samson.

“If I paid attention to those things, I couldn’t bat like this. 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',” he added.

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