Leadership group considering me for Test cricket; Gautam Gambhir believes in my talent: Sanju Samson

Add as a preferred source on Google

After hitting his maiden T20I hundred in the recent match against Bangladesh, Sanju Samson has his eyes set on Test cricket debut. The 29-year-old said that he was being considered for red ball cricket by the Indian think tank consisting of captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir.

The Kerala batter revealed that the Team India leadership group has asked him to take Ranji Trophy matches seriously. Samson, who has scored 3819 runs in 64 first-class matches at an average of 38.96, added that he himself doesn't want to restrict him to white-ball cricket.

"I believe I have the skill set to succeed in red-ball cricket and I just don't want to restrict myself to white-ball cricket. My desire is to play Test cricket for India. Before the Duleep Trophy, the leadership group had told me that they were considering me for red-ball cricket and asked me to take it seriously and play more Ranji Trophy matches," Samson told in an interaction with media in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.

Samson acknowledges backing from Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir

Further, the wicketkeeper-batter also revealed that he was told well in advance that he would get to play all three matches against Bangladesh, and would open the innings. He acknowledged the support of T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, and Gautam Gambhir.

"Before the series began, I received messages that I would be playing in all three matches and that I was being considered for the opener's role. So, I prepared accordingly," Sanju Samson, who smashed a 40-ball hundred in the third T20I to seal India's 2-1 win, revealed as per Mathrubhumi.com.

"Suryakumar and I have known each other for years since junior cricket. He is a captain who speaks his mind and supports all players. When I scored the century, he was happier than I was," Samson said.

"Since the beginning, he (Gambhir) has told me not to be afraid and that I have his full backing. He believes in my talent. His support is a huge confidence boost," Samson added.