After Sanju Samson was included in India's 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka great and Rajasthan Royals Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara believes the 29-year-old will succeed in the upcoming global showpiece if he wins the race to be first-choice wicket-keeper for Men in Blue at the prestigious event.
Samson has been in excellent form with the Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing Indian Premier League season. The right-hander has amassed an incredible 471 runs from 11 games while picking seven dismissals in his role as keeper.
India selected two specialist keepers in their 15-member squad, including Samson, who will compete against the returning Rishabh Pant to take stumps for India in the USA and the West Indies.
Sangakkara was one of the premier wicket-keeper batters in the world in recent times and the Sri Lanka legend has seen enough at the IPL this year in his coaching role at Rajasthan to know Samson can make a strong impact at the T20 World Cup should he earn selection in India's XI.
"He's a special player and when he's fresh and focused there's nothing he can't do. He's a humble, grounded guy... not much on social media.
“He tends to like a lot of privacy, cares for the rest of the group. Those are great qualities to have apart from talent and skill. I think he'll be exceptional in that group going to the World Cup," Sangakkara said of Samson as quoted by ICC.
Nevertheless, Sangakkara believes Samson is a more developed player now than he was in prior years, and a new mental strategy is helping him to obtain the most out of his ability.
"With Sanju, the biggest thing about this season for him is having a lot of clarity about the way he should bat. There are certain stages of the game that he seems to lose a bit of concentration, which we've addressed from past seasons.
“He's changed his mindset about the importance of rest and recovery, rather than just training all the time and being tired mentally and physically. The rest is his exceptional ability," Sangakkara added.
Samson made his T20I debut, which also happened to be his international debut, back in 2015 against Zimbabwe, but over the years, he got very few chances to play due to better performances from other players, the presence of MS Dhoni and Pant in the wicketkeeper slot and his inconsistency.
Meanwhile, India's campaign begins on June 5 against Ireland at the newly-constructed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York before they take on Pakistan on June 9 in one of the most awaited matches of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
