IND vs SA 2022: "I'm fortunate to be playing for India" - Sanju Samson

Indian keeper-batter Sanju Samson has stated that he is fortunate to play for the national team amid the prevailing competition for places. He believes that people's rising expectations have motivated him to put in more effort to perform better.

Samson shone in the first ODI against South Africa in Lucknow on Thursday, October 6, hitting an unbeaten 86* off 63 balls, albeit in a losing cause.

The right-handed batter almost took the hosts over the line after walking out to bat in a tricky situation against a top-class bowling unit.

Speaking in a press conference after the hosts' nine-run defeat, Samson claimed that playing for India has always been his dream and is keen to live up to the fans' expectations. The 27-year-old said:

"I'm fortunate to be playing for India. Indian cricket has big superstars; however, the fact that people have supported me and love my batting is a huge motivation for me. When you start playing cricket, those are the things you want. It was my dream and I'm happy to live it.

"There is also an increase in expectations. For instance, the practice time goes up from two to four hours to be more consistent moving forward. Everybody's expectations have increased, so I'm preparing more and want to perform even better."

Samson walked in to bat when India found themselves at 51-4 as the top order struggled against South Africa's relentless bowling while chasing 250 in 40 overs. Despite him adding 67 runs with Shreyas Iyer and 93 with Shardul Thakur, India fell short of the target.

"We didn't do very badly, but we can definitely improve" - Sanju Samson

Sanju Samon struck nine fours and three sixes in his knock. (Credits: Twitter)

Reflecting on India's performance, the Kerala-born player said that bowling to South Africa's big hitters on a small ground wasn't easy. However, he thinks India can do better moving forward. Samson explained:

"Definitely, we have space to improve, but we also need to look at the batters we are bowling at. I think someone like David Miller, who is the best finisher in the world at the moment, bowling against him in this ground was a very challenging thing. But we responded decently. I think fifty runs in five overs is very much achievable today, unlike earlier. We didn't do very badly, but definitely we can improve."

The visitors posted 249 in 40 overs on the back of an unbroken 139-run stand between David Miller and Heinrich Klassen. The Men in Blue will aim to square the series in Ranchi on Sunday, October 9.