How Samson has added a new dimension to his batting

'You should not fix a spot for yourself. You cannot tell people: 'I am an opener or I am a finisher.''

IMAGE: Sanju Samson believes that to be a successful batter one needs to be flexible. Photograph: BCCI

Sanju Samson believes that in the past few years he has prepared himself in a manner that he can't be considered a 'one-dimensional cricketer' any more.

The dashing Kerala wicketkeeper-batter has missed the T20 World Cup ticket but understands that getting into the Indian team is more challenging than ever with the kind of quality players coming through in the last few years.

"Playing different roles is something I have worked on for a lot of years. I am confident of batting anywhere in the order."

Samson believes that to be a successful batter one needs to be flexible.

"You should not fix a spot for yourself. You cannot tell people: 'I am an opener or I am a finisher.' In the last three-four years, playing in various roles and spots has added a new dimension to my game," he added.

The 27-year-old, who has featured in 7 ODIs and 16 T20Is so far, said finding a spot in the Indian team is challenging as there is a lot of competition.

"It really does get challenging. Finding a place in the Indian team is really challenging. There is a lot of competition around, even within players who are in the team now. When these things happen, it is important to focus on myself," Samson said.

"I am happy with the way I am performing. I want to improve," he added.

Samson will be leading India 'A' in the three List A games against New Zealand A, starting in Chennai from Thursday.

"The quality of cricketers we have in our team is unbelievable. So, it really helps each and every individual to raise their level. We keep on challenging ourselves. We try to perform every time we get an oopportunity," Samson said.

The A series always keeps the fringe players in the selection radar and Samson is happy to lead the national A team.

"They are really important. There is not much difference between an A game and international game. The competition is almost the same, so it is important to make use of the opportunities."