5 Matches, 1 Day Of Practice: Sanju Samson's Blunt Message To BCCI On India's Cramped Schedule

Sanju Samson on lack of practice due to cramped schedule© BCCI/Creimas

India wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson had a mixed T20I series against West Indies. The 5-match assignment saw Samson score 11, 82, 3, 56, and 16 runs. As the series concluded with the final match being washed out due to rain, Samson highlighted how difficult it was for him and others in the team to adapt to the conditions over the course of the series. While 5 matches were scheduled, the team only had one practice session. Samson and others in the team put their experience to use as they travelled to a different city for every single match and arrived on the field without getting any sort of practice done.

"To be very honest, with the way the schedule is structured these days, you don't get much time to practise or prepare," Samson told the broadcaster in Bengaluru, where the 5th and final match of the series against West Indies was washed out, sending the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) a blunt message about the cramped schedule.

"That's where your experience comes in. You try to stay in a good mental space and make the most of whatever time you get. We have just one day of batting practice," said Samson.

Sharing the approach towards overcoming this hurdle, Samson said that assessing the conditions by playing the first few deliveries with utmost caution is key to understanding what needs to be done on a particular pitch.

"We'll reach there on the 20th, practise on the 21st, and play the match on the 22nd. So, we'll try to carry forward the good things we've done here. It takes a little time to adjust to the conditions there, so we'll take two or three balls to assess them. We'll follow the things we've learned through experience and play while respecting the conditions," he said.

Samson would not fly to New Zealand with the rest of the members of the Indian team for another 5-match T20I series, which starts in 5 days' time. 

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