BENGALURU: MS Dhoni has served Indian cricket since 2004 and the former India captain, now 37, does not have many years left in his international career. It would be almost impossible for any player to fill his shoes once he hangs up his gloves. However, India are fortunate enough to have a strong trio of wicketkeepers in Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson — among others — waiting in the wings. Pant has already been rewarded with a Test cap and 4 T20Is, while Samson represented India in the shortest format back in 2015. Kishan is yet to play for the national team.
One is not sure how long Dhoni might play, but the trio in that period need to strive for consistency in domestic cricket. Samson is aware of this fact. He top-scored for Kerala last season in Ranji Trophy with 627 runs, and also had a wonderful run with Rajasthan Royals in IPL, scoring 441 runs. Samson no doubt is one of the most promising cricketers in the country, and seems to be maturing well. Despite being 23, he plays with a calm head on his shoulders and reads match-situations well; essential for playing at the top level. The stylish righthander can also change gears when required, which puts him in a good stead as well. “The last three, four seasons have been important for me.
Personally, I am happy with the way I have improved as both a batsman and a wicketkeeper. Before, I used to play my natural game. But now, I am trying to read the situation and do what the team demands as well. If you perform well, you are almost there. And If I have a good season, there might be a chance (for playing for India),” Samson said. The Kerala player does not want to think about selection, and is just concentrating on delivering the goods whenever he plays for any team. “I have stopped thinking about selection because when you do, your mind is not in the match.
It is important to forget all that, enjoy every game you play, and keep performing in each and every match,” said Samson, who scored a gritty 36 for India A on a difficult batting track at Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday. His innings was not enough as they lost to South Africa A, who reached the finals of the quadrangular series. They face India B on Wednesday. ashim.sunam@newindianexpress.com Brief scores: India B 276/6 in 50 ovs (Manish 117 n.o; Nesar 3/47) lost to Australia A 248/5 in 40 ovs (Khawaja 101 n.o, Wildermuth 62 n.o) (via D/L method); India A 157 in 37.3 ovs (Samson 36; Paterson 5/19) lost to South Africa A 159/6 in 37.4 ovs (Khaleel 3/45).
Bhuvi to join India A
BCCI has declared pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar fit and said he will be a part of India A squad in the ongoing series. The right-arm pacer had aggravated his lower back injury while playing the third India-England ODI match in UK. He was subsequently ruled out of the India-England Test series and had
to undergo recovery training at National Cricket Academy.