Promising wicket keeper-batsman Sanju V. Samson has been selected for the limited-over leg of the England tour, which will start on October 25.
Sanju becomes the third player from Kerala after Tinu Yohanan and S. Sreesanth to figure in a senior India squad. The 19-year-old from Thiruvananthapuram was on the selectors’ radar after an outstanding performance for India A in the quadrangular one-day tournament in Australia, which India A won. Sanju impressed the team management, especially India A coach Abhay Sharma, with his performance behind the stumps and with the bat. Sanju scored 244 runs while batting at the crucial number six position prompting Abhay Sharma to call him the future of Indian cricket.
There were a lot of expectations in Kerala when the selectors sat down to pick the Indian team.
Sanju’s chances had looked slim as Naman Ohja was already in England as the second wicket keeper. But the selectors pulled out a surprise much to the delight of cricket fans in Kerala.
Speaking to the media soon after learning about his selection, Sanju said he was overwhelmed, but added that the feeling was yet to sink in.
He was at a loss for words even as his house was thronged by fans and well-wishers and, of course, a large contingent of the media. Sanju’s father Samson told the media that Sanju’s selection to the Indian team was the culmination of his son’s hard work and the sacrifices the family had made for him. The Kerala Cricket Association congratulated Sanju and said the player’s selection was a shot in the arm for Kerala cricket.
