Sanju Samson reveals Gambhir and Rohit's interest in him for red ball cricket, eager to pursue Test career

Although Sanju Samson has become a marquee player in the IPL, he has struggled to make an impact while representing India. Despite debuting in 2015, the 29-year-old wicketkeeper has faced inconsistency in the national team and is determined to prove his worth as a permanent member. With the recent retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Samson now has another opportunity to secure his spot in the T20I squad and showcase his talent on the international stage.

He got backing from new coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Suryakumar Yadav as he finally delivered big in the third T20I against Bangladesh, where he smashed a 40-ball century in Hyderabad.

Samson has now expressed his desire to play Test cricket for India and said that the leadership group communicated with him before the Duleep Trophy to play more Ranji Trophy matches.

"I believe I have the skillset to succeed in red ball cricket and I just don’t want myself to be restricted to just white ball cricket. My desire is to play Test cricket for India. Before the Duleep Trophy, the leadership group had told me that they were considering me for red ball cricket and asked me to take it seriously and play more Ranji Trophy matches," Samson said on Sportstar.

The third T20I between India and Bangladesh witnessed a rare sight where another batter outshined a full-flowing Suryakumar Yadav in the same innings - Samson, who bludgeoned 8 sixes and 11 fours.

Samson talked about how working with former India head coach Rahul Dravid at RR Academy and a century in the Duleep Trophy helped him boost his confidence for the Bangladesh T20Is.

"My preparation was good this time around. After the series against Sri Lanka I trained at the RR Academy with Rahul Dravid Sir and Zubin Bharucha and worked on my game. The century in the Duleep Trophy has given me a lot of confidence as it came against some of the best bowlers in the country," he added.