India's Sanju Samson celebrates his half-century during the second T20I cricket match between India and Afghanistan, in New Delhi, Tuesday. (Photo: BCCI)
New Delhi: Sanju Samson has learnt to deal with the "outside noise" surrounding his career graph but he admits that the intense competition for India's top-order spots can be challenging even though players have little or no time to sulk over selection decisions.
Samson smashed a brutal 57 off 22 balls in India's series-clinching seven-wicket win over Afghanistan in the second T20I here on Tuesday. But he is well aware that the conversations about the trajectory of his career would not end.
"I try to turn off the Wi-Fi. But sometimes the Wi-Fi turns on and I see the comments of the senior players. It's very normal. I think it's their choice," Samson said in the post-match media interaction.
"Sometimes it's their frame of mind. It's totally up to them. They can use a positive frame of sentences or they can use a negative frame of sentences. So, I think I have been mature enough and experienced enough how to handle it.
"At first, it feels bad. I am not a machine. I am not a robot. It definitely matters. And you kind of get a bit affected. But then you try to talk to yourself and tell that what you are and what you need to do."
The wicketkeeper-batter said the scrutiny surrounding Indian cricketers can be difficult to escape but stressed the importance of maintaining clarity about one's approach.
"I think definitely, yes, outside noise do affect the cricketers in India. But you need to be very clear that what is your mindset... How do you want to prepare... How do you want to play...
"If I had paid attention to those things, I wouldn't have been able to bat like this. I would have thought 10 times before batting that if I get out, then there will be a Wi-Fi problem.
"So, I said it's okay. My international career has been very good. The World Cup has also helped a lot. So whatever pressure you are in, you kind of realize that what type of a player you are and you try to go out there and express yourself, keeping your team in front."
There is a lot of pressure on Samson with 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi breathing down his neck for the opening slot.
Samson was replaced by Sooryavanshi after low scores in Ireland and the early matches in England.
However, with the young batter producing a string of low scores in three matches, Samson returned in the fifth game.
"It's not easy to run an Indian team. You see, a 15-year-old boy has scored 700-800 runs. My tournament (World Cup) was before that. After that he performed so well and he had to come in in some or the other manner," said Samson.
"I didn't perform in 2-3 games and he was in form and we wanted to win games in that series. It was very understandable from a leadership kind of a thing. I have been in this situation and I have taken tough calls as a captain in the IPL franchise. So, I understand that.
"That's where the communication comes in. GG Bhai's communication was very important. There was a lot of communication in the middle of the England series as well. He spoke to me a lot before this series as well. It's not easy to take hard decisions, it's very easy to take popular decisions. But as a leadership group, we have been taking some really tough calls keeping the team in front."
Talking further on the competition for the top three batting spots, Samson said: "... just think about what is in my control and try to be very positive with your competitors as well. I think there are competitors for the outside world but we are a team and we are playing for a country...
"We just have to be ready for our own opportunity. We can't sulk or we can't be in a negative frame of mind that I didn't get it, why did they give it to him. So, those kinds of mindsets don't work here."
On achieving consistency, Samson said his focus was on preparation and process rather than outcomes in the high-risk T20 format.
"I think consistency in my process, in my preparation, in how I am practicing, how I am putting my hard yards in. I think that's where I try to focus on. You can't control the consistency in the result in this format. Consistency has to be in the frame of mind which you are looking at and then whatever happens, happens. I think that's what fearless mindset is called.
"I think each and every chat which we have in the dressing room, I think they back you 100%. They want you to go out and play a very fearless kind of cricket. In the last match, you saw Abhishek doing it beautifully. I think this match I tried to do it. So, yeah, that's what we are trying to achieve as a team."
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