IND vs AUS: 'My dream is to play Test cricket,' says Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson. Pic/PTI

India's wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson, 26, is known to be a T20 specialist but the Kerala captain, who has scored over 3,000 runs in 55 first-class games at an average of 37.64 with a highest score of 211, is keen to make it big as a Test cricketer.

"Test cricket is the biggest challenge. If you want to be a proper cricketer, you have to play Test cricket. My dream has always been to represent my country in Tests. "But, I also realise that it's always one step at a time, so slowly and patiently I will wait for that to happen," Samson, who is in Mumbai to lead Kerala in the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, told mid-day on Tuesday.

The hard-hitting batsman has scored an impressive 2,584 runs from 107 IPL games, including two hundreds, but continues to be in and out of India's T20I side. In the last six years, he has played just seven T20Is, scoring 83 runs. "I'm raring to go and want to perform better. So, the intent is there.

"In the T20 format, you tend to fail more than you succeed but I'm happy with the way I've prepared. "I'm sure that success is just around the corner. I just need to keep doing what I do and prepare well. Cricket is a funny game. You never know when positive results will start to flow," said Samson, insisting that batting has always been his priority.

"I want to score as many runs as possible. Batting is my priority. Across the last seven or eight years, I have not only played as a wicketkeeper but also as a regular fielder. This has given me more dimensions as a cricketer. I am ready for any role, batting, wicketkeeping or fielding," he added.