Sanju Samson stays composed after being left out of ODI squad for Sri Lanka tour following impressive 108-run innings in final India match

India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson expressed his disappointment on Saturday about being dropped from the ODI series for the recently-concluded tour of Sri Lanka. This decision came despite him scoring his maiden international hundred in the only series the team played in the format prior to the tour.

Samson, who scored a stunning knock of 108 in the series against South Africa in December 2023, following his return to the ODI squad after being disregarded both for Asia Cup and the World Cup that year, was picked for the T20I series against Sri Lanka, as a back-up wicketkeeper for Rishabh Pant. However, the Kerala-based cricketer was snubbed for the ODI series to make way for Pant, alongside KL Rahul, who did not play in the format since his car accident in December 2022.

In a recent interaction with the media, following the conclusion of the Sri Lanka tour, he was asked by a report from Zee: “You scored a century in South Africa but were dropped from the ODI squad. In an ODI World Cup year, you're playing T20Is, and in a T20 World Cup year, you're playing ODIs. There's a lot of buzz on social media about this. What are your thoughts on the selection?”

Samson responded to the query in a level-headed manner, even as former cricketers and experts raised similar questions. The star batter admitted that he doesn't tend to overthink about selection matters and rather wishes to focus on the controllable.

"When they call me to play, I go and play. If not, it's okay. I don't overthink it. The team is doing well, so there's no issue. I prefer to stay positive and focus on what I can control. I put maximum effort into my practice and hard work, which is improving my game. I want my career to move forward, so I concentrate on improving my game and focusing on what's within my control," he said.

‘The last 3-4 months have been the best of my career’

Samson, who did not feature in any of the matches for India despite being part of the triumphant T20 World Cup-winning campaign, was given two opportunities in the T20I series against Sri Lanka and he returned with scores of ducks in both the matches. While he rued making the most of the golden opportunity, he admitted that being part of the World Cup squad was a dream-come-true moment.

“The last 3-4 months have been the best of my career. Being part of the World Cup team is like a dream come true, something I desired 3-4 years ago. My wish was to play in my last ODI World Cup. However, it was only after joining the team and winning the Twenty20 World Cup that I realized it wasn’t an easy task. But in the last series against Sri Lanka, I didn’t perform as expected,” Samson said.

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