Sanju is a combination of Dravid and AB, says coach

Indian cricket's rising star Sanju Samson's coach, Biju George, feels that his ward possesses the grit of Rahul Dravid as well as the flair of A B de Villiers, which will make him a special player in the coming days.

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"Sanju is a combination of Dravid and AB, as he is a package of flamboyance and dogged determination. He is as flamboyant and as determined as Dravid is," George said.

The Kerala youngster earned his maiden call-up to the senior national side for the five-match ODI series in England.

Though Sanju is an aggressive batsman, he does have the intensity to play a long innings.

"He exudes Dravid's intensity to build innings and play for a long time in the middle. He knows to pace the innings as Dravid does," he said.

"Every time he talks to Dravid he gets to learn more about the game," George, who also works as a coach with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), said about his favourite student, under Dravid's guidance at Rajasthan Royals.

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Of late Sanju, who was the leading run-getter for India 'A' in their victorious campaign in the Quadrangular one-day series in Australia with 244 runs from seven matches, is following AB's attitude towards the game, whether he is batting, fielding or wicket-keeping, George said.

Samson is a batsman-wicketkeeper because he has a very good technique as a batsman and plays aggressively too.

"Even if he attacks, he plays it with a straight bat - never plays across the line. He adopts new tactics to put pressure on opposition bowlers," he said. 

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Samson's wicket-keeping also is coming off well, George added.

Asked whether he sees Sanju adapting to the longer version in the near future, George replied: "He has made 530 runs in the Ranji Trophy 2013-14 at 58.88 (in Group C) and also hit two centuries and a double hundred in 15 first-class matches."

He also had a productive season with Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2014, scoring 339 runs, at an average of 26.07 and a strike-rate of 124.17.

Asked where he would fit into the scheme of Dhoni if he is picked in the playing eleven against England in the one-day matches, George said Samson has the ability to play at any position because he has a good batting technique.

"He can play up the order, in the middle or act as a finisher - he can adapt to any given condition," he said.

Asked whether he has the ability to step into the shoes of Dhoni once he retires, George said, "I hope so and also pray to God that it happens."