While Samson was part of India’s squad for the T20 World Cup this summer, the swashbuckling keeper-batter didn’t make a single appearance during the course of India’s winning campaign. (PTI/AP)
Sanju Samson took the spotlight in India’s last T20I appearance against Bangladesh, scoring a maiden hundred as India posted the second highest total in the format’s history.
In a recent conversation, the swashbuckling keeper-batter has revealed that despite not having made a single appearance in the T20 World Cup, he was in line to feature in the all-important summit clash against South Africa this summer.
“I had a chance to play the final. I was told to stay ready. I was. However, they decided before the toss that we would go with the same team. I was like, no worries. I was in that type of mood,” Samson conceded in a video on Vimal Kumar’s YouTube channel.
“During the warm-up, Rohit (Sharma) took me to the side and started to explain to me why he is making that decision. He was like, ‘You understood, na?’ You know his way, very casual? I told him, ‘Let us win the match and then talk.’ You focus on the match. He came back a minute later and said, ‘I know you are cursing me in your mind.’ I think you’re not happy. I feel like you have something on your mind. I told him, ‘As a player, I want to play’,” he added.
The 29-year-old, who has played across 33 T20Is and 16 ODIs for India, went on to praise the Indian captain for providing him with a clarity over the last-minute call ahead of the T20 World Cup Final.
“I said I totally respect that you came and explained me. I told him, ‘I will have a regret; I could not play a World Cup final with a leader like you.’ This will be a regret in my heart that I missed a World Cup final with a leader like Rohit Sharma. That will stay in my life,” Samson said.
Hyderabad: India’s Sanju Samson celebrates his century during the third and final T20 International cricket match between India and Bangladesh at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, in Hyderabad, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak)
“After this, I thought, such a big thing like a World Cup final. Before the final, you have changed your decision. You spent 10 minutes with the player that is not playing just before the toss. He gave me 10 minutes before the toss.
“If I were in his place, I would be thinking about the players who are playing or my batting. ‘I’ll explain to Sanju later’, that is what normally you’d think. At that point, he thought, ‘I have to explain to Sanju, why I took that decision.’ At that point, he won a place in my heart that will stay for a lifetime.”
While India went on to win the T20 world title after 17 years as Rohit Sharma – and Virat Kohli – called it quits from the shortest format of the game, Samson has emerged as a leading contender for a place in the new T20I side following his recent power-hitting display.
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