Sanju Samson Reveals Parents’ “Bold Decision” To Secure His Cricketing Future

Sanju Samson spent his initial years as a kid in the national capital as his father was working with the Delhi Police. In a recent interview Samson revealed that he was interested in cricket as a child and even gave the trials in Delhi, but couldn’t break through the age group ranks due to stiff competition. He then revealed that his family moved to Kerala within a month and thereafter he pursued the game and made his domestic debut for the state in 2011 as a teenager.

“I had started playing cricket from the age of 5 or 6, my dad tells me. Me and my brother used to play. My father was in the police football team. He used to go for duty at night but in mornings he would go for practice.

“My father tells me that he had taken me to Feroz Shah Kotla stadium when I was 6-7 years old as he was on duty there. He said that I had my first practice with a leather ball out there. The competition is very high in Delhi and we gave the trials a couple of times but couldn’t make it. My father used to say that ‘we’ll play for Kerala, after all we are from there’.

“We left suddenly. Within a month’s time we left our schools and reached Kerala. My mother told my father that we should at least pass the 10th standard because there could be issues with admission. But my father insisted that we leave. Our parents took a bold decision to leave Delhi,” Samson told Gaurav Kapur on his show ‘Breakfast with Champions’.

Samson also spoke about the fact that his father took retirement from Delhi Police to join the family in Kerala where he worked hard to ensure Sanju could play cricket and devoted his entire energy towards making him a cricketer.

“It was difficult for us to get admission in schools but we finally got admitted to St Josephs. I didn’t play any cricket there for some time and thereafter my father took voluntary retirement from Delhi Police to join us in Kerala and there he started taking me for practice and matches.

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“It was a difficult phase for the family but my parents never made us realise that they were struggling for us,” an emotional Samson said.

Samson has played for India in T20Is and ODIs but hasn’t been able to establish himself in the national team. He has been a phenomenon in the IPL over the years and is currently leading the Rajasthan Royals team which is trying to finish in the top 4 to qualify for the play-offs.