Sports: Sanju Samson is harbouring the Test dream for India, after gaining much-needed confidence with his maiden T20I century. Samson, who finally left his treacherous form in T20Is for India, after getting a full series to showcase his talent, has probably sealed his spot for the time being in the T20 side, however, the wicketkeeper-batter just doesn't want to remain a one-format player. In an interaction with reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Samson mentioned that he has the skills sets to succeed in red-ball cricket.

“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 that they were considering me for red-ball cricket and asked me to take it seriously and play more Ranji Trophy matches," Samson, who has been named in the Kerala squad for the second round of Ranji Trophy matches, said.

It was a long wait for Samson to show what he can do in the shortest format of the game for the Indian team. For the last two years, Samson played one match here or two there and didn't really light up the scene in those games. The moment he got that third straight chance in the recently concluded Bangladesh series, Samson made it count. Samson also slammed a ton in the Duleep Trophy, playing for India D.

“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,” Samson further added.

Samson will be playing a couple of Ranji matches before readying himself for the four T20Is against South Africa, starting November 8.