THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala's teenage batting sensation Sanju V Samson has finally caught the eye of the national junior selectors.
A string of explosive perfomances have won this prodigy a place in the National Under-16 camp to be held from July 13 to August 14 at the National Cricket Academy, Bangalore. An excited Kerala Cricket Association officials were proud to announce that it is a 'first in the history' achievement for the Association.
Sanju and elder brother Saly V Samson were earlier selected to the South Zone Cricket Academy team for the Hanumant Singh Trophy Under-16 tournament.
Sanju played true to his hard hitting form, gathering 250 runs from five matches including two fifties in the tournament. He signed off in style with a 35 ball 70 not out, which included three sixes in the final match against the East Zone Cricket Academy team.
The Kerala lad has grabbed attention with his prolific scoring and hard hitting in the national junior tournaments.
A right hand batsman and wicket-keeper he had scored 498 runs at an average of 62.25, including two centuries and two fifties and took 11 catches in the 2008-'09 Vijay Merchant Trophy (Under 15). The year before he had amassed 973 runs in 5 matches at an average of 108.11, including four centuries and three fifties in the KSCA Inter-state Under 13 tournament to bag the player of the tournament award.
He represents City Cricketers, a leading cricket club in Thiruvananthapuram and trains at the Kerala Sports Council training centre, Medical College, under Sports Authority of India coach Biju George.
Sanju has been selected among 30 promising junior cricketers drawn from various zonal cricket academies across the country. NCA officials told Express that it is for the BCCI to decide whether to send the selected boys on a tour to gain match practise at the end of the one month training camp.