Sanju Samson, who smashed 111 off 47 deliveries in the third T20I against Bangladesh, said the Indian team management wants him to take red-ball cricket more seriously and if an opportunity arises, he could also be considered for Test cricket.

The wicketkeeper-batter has featured in 64 first-class games, scoring 3,819 runs at an average of 38.96. Samson recently featured in the Duleep Trophy and scored his 11th first-class ton in the final round of the competition. He has now joined Kerala’s Ranji Trophy squad and will be available for their second-round fixture against Karnataka, starting October 18 (Friday).

“I believe I have the skill set to succeed in red-ball cricket, and I just don’t want to restrict myself to white-ball cricket. My desire is to play Test cricket for India. Before the Duleep Trophy, the leadership group had told me they were considering me for red-ball cricket and asked to take it seriously and play more Ranji Trophy matches,” Samson told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.

“My preparation was good this time around. After the series against Sri Lanka, I trained at the RR [Rajasthan Royals] Academy with Rahul Dravid sir and Zubin Bharucha and worked on my game. The century in the Duleep Trophy has given me a lot of confidence as it came against some of the best bowlers in the country.”

In their first round of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, Kerala defeated Punjab by eight wickets.

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