How Kerala boy Sanju Samson made it to Team India

When the news of his entry into the Indian cricket team reached 19-year-old Sanju Viswanathan Samson, he was attending his usual training session in the Thiruvanthapuram Medical College ground. When he returned to his residence Liji Hut in Mulloorkonam, a coastal fisherman village near Vizhinjam at 8 pm on Tuesday, he was welcomed by villagers and TV channel crews outside his house.
Sanju will be fighting England in the five-match ODI series and one-off Twenty 20 against England. The first match of the series begins in Bristol on August 25.


When the news of his inclusion in the team came as TV on 7 pm, Sanju returned home in a car to seek blessings of his family and friends. Sanju said the news was confirmed by a friend on the way back. His father Viswanath Samson, a former policeman in Delhi Police, was excited.


His mother, Liji Samson, said she was blessed to have a son like Sanju. "I am extremely happy to find place in the team. But I don't expect anything from the game. All I wish is to play well to bring fame to the Indian team. The selection to the Indian team increases my responsibility," said Sanju Samson to reporters.
Sanju studied in Delhi till Class 7 since his father was in Delhi Police.


In fact, it was Viswanath Samson, a football coach who inspired Sanju to take up cricket.
Though his father tried to get his son a place in cricket camps run by former cricketers, he failed to convince them about his son's talents. He later quit his job and returned to Kerala.


Sanju later found a way to his guru and former Ranji coach Biju Varghese. "I inquired about the details of the cricket coaching to Sandeep Raveendran, a boy I met on the road with cricket kit while on his way to training. I was introduced to the camp run by Biju through former BCCI statistician Sudheer Ali," Sanju said about his beginning in an earlier interview.He was selected to the under-13 Kerala cricket team in 2007. He showed calibre as a batsman in the first match by hitting a century.


His talent was at its peak when he scored a double century in the first match in under-16 Kerala team. He was selected to Kerala Ranji team in 2011 where he scored another century in the first match against Vidharbha.
Sanju was picked up by Rajastan Royals IPL team in 2013. He scored 339 runs in the IPL.