'I understood that he was targeting my place in the team, I have no hesitation in saying this in front of any camera'

CHENNAI: Malayali cricketer Sanju Samson has spoken candidly about the fierce competition for places in the Indian cricket team, especially in the T20 format. Reflecting on Ishan Kishan’s impressive comeback ahead of India’s preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup, the 31-year-old said the wicketkeeper-batter earned his return through consistent hard work and strong performances in domestic cricket. Sanju made these remarks during an interaction with Abhinav Mukund on the CSK Podcast.

“We usually think only about ourselves. I believed I was working hard day and night. But recently, I realised that Ishan was putting in the same level of effort. He had been out of the team for the last two years. Even then, he worked hard in domestic cricket and made a comeback. Once he started scoring runs consistently, I understood that he was targeting my place in the team. I have no hesitation in saying this in front of any camera,” Sanju said.

Sanju further recalled Ishan’s century in Thiruvananthapuram and admitted that he felt the wicketkeeper-batter deserved the opportunity more at that moment.

“When Ishan scored a century in Thiruvananthapuram, I told myself, ‘Sanju, you should leave this spot for him.’ He deserved it more than I did at that stage. I had received several opportunities but failed to score enough runs. Meanwhile, someone else was performing brilliantly. He had an excellent Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign and came into the World Cup preparations after scoring a century. At that moment, I genuinely felt I should step aside,” he added.