Sanju ‘Mohanlal’ Samson ready to play any role for Team India or ‘sit at home when there is no role’

Sanju Samson once again compared himself to the celebrated actor Mohanlal when asked about playing in multiple batting positions for India in the Asia Cup held in the UAE.

Sanju returned to the country having played a vital role in the final against Pakistan, forging a 57-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Tilak Varma that set India on course to a five-wicket win.

When asked by journalists about how he handled the pressure, Sanju replied: "That is why they play me."

"In all these years, we have been taught to handle pressure. So when such situations arose, I saw them as opportunities, rather than pressure. I'm glad I was able to use those opportunities and play well," Sanju said.

The Kerala wicketkeeper batter, who is used to playing regularly as an opener, was preferred as a No 5 batter in the Asia Cup and did not bat in three of the seven matches. However, Sanju finished third among Indian run-getters in the T20 event (132 runs), behind Abhishek Sharma (314) and Tilak Varma (213), scoring more than what Shubman Gill managed (127) as an opener.

When asked about how he coped with the change of role, Sanju reiterated a 'Lalettan' remark. "Like I said before, I adopted Lalettan's approach. If we accept the role we are given to play, then it is alright. Instead of getting padded up early, I waited and performed the role that was asked of me.

"Against Sri Lanka, I was told to make runs fast, and in this match (final vs Pakistan), the instruction was to go slow and build a partnership. With God's grace, I have gained the experience to play."

In a post-match interaction in the UAE, Sanju had likened himself to Mohanlal, who was recently bestowed with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (India's highest award in the field of cinema).

Sanju then said, "Mohanlal is a very big actor from Kerala. He has been acting for 20, 30, 40 years. I've also been playing for my country for the last 10 years. So I can't say that I'll only do a hero role, I need to be a villain, I need to be a joker, I need to play around. You can't say that you have scored runs as an opener and you're really good at the top three. Let me try this also." He wrapped up the short interaction by calling himself 'Sanju Mohanlal Samson'.

Today, when the journalists reminded him of his Mohanlal comment, he said: "We won't get every cinema, right? So do the roles that we get and sit at home when there is no role. It is that simple."