One of the standout young players for India in the last couple of years, Sanju Samson aims to be an IPS officer. Although the news is very surprising, but it has been revealed to be true by his coach Biju George.
Biju George, who is now a coach with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has said that although Sanju want to play for India in the white colours, becoming an IPS officer is his aim. George also believes that Sanju has the ability in him to fulfil his dream. Sanju has been training under George since he was 12. The coach recalls Sanju to be a hardworking young player who was willing to learn. Sanju has been a consistent run-getter for his team no matter whichever team he turns out for. He has scored lots of runs in the Under-19 Asia Cup, Under-19 World Cup, IPL 2013, IPL 2014 and the recently concluded quadrangular one-day series in Australia. According to his coach, this consistency should earn him a place in the Indian team soon.
What really standouts for Samson is his ability to play each ball on its merit. He does not care about the reputation of the bowler. Instead he tries to ensure he is playing the right shot and not throw his wicket away. His performance for Rajasthan Royals was spectacular in the 2013 edition of the IPL. The fact that he was among the five players retained by the Rajasthan Royals in 2014 and he went on to become the youngest IPL millionaire. He was given the chance to bat at number 3 position for the team. This shows the amount of faith the team management had on him. George said that Sanju’s focus has always been on learning and not on earning money. He went to the Royals management and said that they can retain him for minimum fee.
George believes that Sanju has improved under the guidance of Rahul Dravid. As a young player, having someone as Rahul Dravid as the mentor has really helped him to mature as a cricketer. Sanju has already earned a place in the one day squad. Although he has to wait for his chance since MS Dhoni is the natural first choice as the wicketkeeper, but the fact selectors have selected him shows that he is performing well in the domestic circuit. George believes that Sanju has the ability to be successful in international cricket and have a long career.