India vs West Indies: Sanju Samson receives grand welcome at Thiruvanthapuram airport - Watch

Young wicket-keeper-batsman Sanju Samson received a heroes’ welcome at Thiruvanathapuram airport ahead of India’s second T20I against West Indies at Greenfield International Stadium on Sunday. Local support came in numbers to witness the team touch down in the capital city of Kerala for the second clash of three-match series against reigning World T20 champions. Local lad Samson was greeted amidst huge cheers as he made his way out of the airport and boarded the bus.

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Rajasthan Royals, Samson’s team in Indian Premier League (IPL), uploaded a short clip on social media and their post read: “A heroes welcome for Sanju!#HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | @IamSanjuSamson.” 

A hero's welcome for Sanju! 🔊😍#HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | @IamSanjuSamson pic.twitter.com/GdzBqoC4ZI

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) December 8, 2019

Samson wasn’t initially picked in the 15-member India squad to face Windies. However, the Kerala batsman received a reprieve following Shikhar Dhawan’s injury, which forced the star opener out of the three-match series.

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Speaking after finding a place in India squad as a replacement for Dhawan, Samson stated that while he is open to keeping wickets, consistency isn’t something that he loses sleep over. For the 25-year-old, it is more about playing match-winning knocks and seeing his team finish on top than personal glory.

“I have never thought of that (consistency) as an issue. What I have understood is that I am a bit different type of a player where I just feel that I should go and dominate the bowlers. So, when I have a style and I am looking to dominate the bowlers, it can happen if I go behind consistency, I will lose my style of batting. I don’t want to change my style of playing to bring in consistency,” Samson told IANS.

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“I like to keep things as simple as possible and when I get the opportunity I look to score big. If I get five innings, I want to score big in one or two innings and win matches for my team. Consistency in my innings won’t win matches for my team. It is more important to play an outstanding innings to win my team games. I go behind that kind of idea,” he explained.