Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson has opined that it’s a wrong mindset to think about India selection while playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Samson is currently in UAE with the Rajasthan Royals franchise, gearing up for the second phase of IPL 2021, starting from September 19.

During an interaction with Barbados Royals skipper Jason Holder, Sanju Samson said, as quoted by the TOI, “First of all, when you’re playing for an IPL team and thinking about Indian selection, then it’s a wrong mindset. People do talk a lot about Indian selection and cementing your place but that is actually a by-product – if you perform, you get opportunities.”

Sound 🔛 to know where Sanju was yesterday!#HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | @IamSanjuSamson pic.twitter.com/VvKvXRDIiM

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) September 13, 2021

Sanju Samson has played some sublime match-winning knocks in the Indian Premier League. However, he has not been able to replicate the same consistency in his career. The wicket-keeper batsman believes that the pressure for him to perform is similar to everybody else. He said,

“I think IPL is the most viewed tournament in the world. It will get you noticed. People do say good things about me and they also say other things as well. It’s natural for me now. Everyone is having that kind of pressure. And every one goes through that kind of pressure, knowing that so many people are waiting outside anyway. That’s the reason behind Indian cricket’s success.”

We have to be the fittest team in the IPL: Sanju Samson

The Rajasthan Royals skipper also spoke about the mindset of the franchise during the auctions. He stated that RR thinks about giving a product to the Indian team, such as the likes of Chetan Sakariya. Samson said,

“I have been with RR from the age of 18. I have seen a lot of Indian talent coming in and going on to play for India like Sakariya did. We give a product to the Indian team. That’s our mindset and that’s how we pick our team. We have to be the fittest team in the IPL.”

Sanju Samson signed off by expressing his desire to represent the country in all three formats of the game.

“The Hundred format might be very exciting, actually. Jason (Holder) is very lucky to play all three formats for his country and I would also like to do that first and then think on those lines,” Samson said.

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