The young wicket-keeper batsman from Kerala Sanju Samson has an abundance of talent. Despite showing his class in domestic cricket, Samson is yet to make it big in international cricket. He faces a tough challenge from Rishabh Pant, who is seen as the successor of MS Dhoni. However, he denies any competition with Pant saying he wants to play alongside him.

With the former India skipper away from international cricket, Rishabh Pant has made into the side. But many former cricketers have backed Sanju Samson to get an opportunity. The selectors recently drafted him for the New Zealand series, but he failed to make the most of the opportunity.

No competition with Rishabh Pant: Sanju Samson

While many believe his international career is all but over with the presence of Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, Sanju Samson doesn’t believe so. The 25-year-old recently said that he is not competing with Rishabh and wants to play alongside him in the playing XI.

“I think it all depends on the team combination. I never thought about all these lines (competition with Rishabh Pant). As a cricketer when you’re competing or when you’re trying to get into a sport if you have an eye on other players – I don’t think that’s the way to play your cricket,” Samson told The Times of India.

Sanju Samson recently knocked consistent runs in the domestic circuit to push his claims. The wicket-keeper batsman said both he and Rishabh Pant are attacking players and want to play together. Notably, they were teammates in the IPL playing for Delhi Capitals (previously known as Delhi Daredevil).

“Whenever people talk to me about my competition with Pant, I like to think about me and him playing together. Not just play, we also have a lot of fun together. I think it will be a really good thing – we are known to dominate bowlers and we have done it in the past as well.

So, I always look forward to playing with Pant. I don’t consider myself competing with him,” he added.