THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If 19-year-old Sanju V Samson was elated by getting the call up to the Indian cricket team for the tour of England, he was visibly swept off his feet by the reception he received at his hometown in Vizhinjam here on Sunday.
On the numerous flex boards erected in the area and during the speeches through the function, Sanju was compared to Little Master Sachin Tendulkar, but the level-headed Kerala cricketer affably reminded his friends and well-wishers that there was still a long way to go in the sport.
“It is an honour to get such a warm reception from one’s own land, but it is a little worrying too,” he said. “I have not yet reached anywhere and being asked to represent India is just a start,” Sanju added.
The wicket-keeper batsman also reminded the locals that due credit must be given to sportspersons from disciplines other than cricket who have come up from the region.
“The coastal area has produced several state and junior internationals in football who also deserve such recognition,” Sanju said. Earlier, Sanju was accompanied from Vizhinjam town to the Mother Teresa Grandhashala, as the cricketer waved, from an open top vehicle, to the crowd who gathered along the road to catch a glimpse of one among them who has now made it to the highest level in cricket.
Jameela Prakasam MLA inaugurated the modest function at Vizhinjam which was also attended by Vizhinjam Sub-Inspector Sasidharan Pillai and councillors Sadanandan Thai and Gladys Alex among others.
“Sanju will inspire many more youngsters from the region and may be we will produce more Indian cricketers from here,” said Jameela Prakasam. “We would love to see Sanju in Indian colours at the international cricket stadium coming up at Kariavattom very soon,” she said.
Sanju, meanwhile, had some advice for aspiring sportspersons. “We see a lot of youngsters wasting their talents. Many quit sports at their peak by settling for a job instead, which I feel is wrong. Whatever sport it be, play always and never stop” he said.
Sanju, who will be the third Indian cricketer from Kerala after Tinu Yohannan and S Sreesanth, also had a request to his well-wishers. “Next time I am in town, consider me not as an Indian cricketer or celebrity and let me walk the streets without fanfare,” he signed off.