New Delhi, March 5 -- "There's our actor, Mohanlal, who received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. He has been acting for 20, 30, 40 years. I've been playing for India for 10 years now. So, I can't come in and say, 'I can only do the hero role.' I need to be the villain, the joker, play all sorts of roles." - Sanju Samson

These words by Sanju Samson capture a rare honesty about professional sport. Instead of demanding a permanent starring role, Samson compared his career to the long acting journey of Mohanlal, one of Indian cinema's most versatile performers.

For years, Samson struggled to secure a permanent place in the Indian team. Sometimes, he opened the batting. At other times, he was pushed down the order.

There were also long periods ...