Sanju Samson seems to have finally cracked international T20 batting. His last two matches for India have brought two hundreds – in vastly different conditions in Hyderabad and Durban – and shows why various selection committees kept going back to him despite the Kerala batsman having a largely inconsistent output over an international career that is almost a decade old.
Samson will turn 30 on Monday but has only played 50 games for his country, but now may have finally figured out what it takes to succeed at the top level. On Friday at Kingsmead, neither pace nor spin was spared as he showed proficiency on both front and back foot. Once set, there was no stopping him.
“After so many years of experience, I know what my ability is. If I spend some time at the wicket, I have shot-making ability against spin and pace and know that I can definitely contribute well to the team. I can win the match,” Samson said after his match-winning 107 off 50 balls in India’s 61-run in the first of four T20Is against South Africa.
For his sublime century in the 1st T20I, Sanju Samson receives the Player of the Match award 👏👏
Scorecard – https://t.co/0NYhIHEpq0#TeamIndia | #SAvIND | @IamSanjuSamson pic.twitter.com/Y6Xgh0YKXZ
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 8, 2024
He targeted both the straight boundary and the short one on the sides to good effect. Opening the batting with left-hander Abhishek Sharma, Samson hit as many as 10 big sixes and seven fours which took India to 202 for 8 in 20 overs. The Proteas never really threatened that total and were bowled out for 141 in the 20th over.
But the wicketkeeper-batsman wasn’t always so bullish about his game. Being in and out of the side and not performing when he needed to had resulted in doubts creeping into his game.
“Failures are part of my life and career. There is doubt, especially with social media’s influence, but at this level, it’s important to focus on improvement. I think when you go through that failure, you have a lot of doubts in your mind. People say that social media definitely plays a role. But you also think a lot about yourself. ‘Sanju, are you not made for international level? I think you are doing well in the IPL. Why are you not doing well internationally?’ So I have a lot of such thoughts,” Samson reflected about his struggles.
This is where support from the captain and the team management played a pivotal role.
“When you have a supporting captain like Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam (Gambhir) bhai and VVS Laxman sir, they all support you during failures. The way they communicate with you in your failures is very important. Everyone knows that if a player is going through a negative phase, he can get lost there,” he said.
“So at that time, I received a lot of phone calls from Gautam bhai and Surya, telling me what to work on, like advising me to collect all the spinners in Kerala and practise on rough wickets there,” Samson revealed.
Sanju Chetta is on fire! 🔥💥
Watch the 1st #SAvIND T20I LIVE on #JioCinema, #Sports18, and #ColorsCineplex! 👈#TeamIndia #JioCinemaSports #SanjuSamson pic.twitter.com/kTeX4Wf6AQ
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) November 8, 2024
“So if your Indian team’s captain is calling you and telling you how to practise after a duck, you have confidence that the captain is trusting you. He wants you to do well. So I think all those small things play a huge role, I think, in coming back here.”
Repaying the faith
Samson is aware that he has been kept as a part of the set-up for a long period despite not cementing a place in any of the three formats. Now, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli moving on from the format, and several multi-format players not always available, he has stepped up in his last two outings.
“I’m very grateful for the trust shown in me. I think I’ve been able to give it back to my team management. I feel that it’s just a start. I would like to just practise hard, train hard, just be very grateful for walking out to play for my country and just look to contribute and win games for my country every time I walk in.”
The wicket at Kingmead had some pace and bounce. Getting a hundred in conditions which one normally doesn’t find in India shows a mature side to Samson’s game. “When you score 100 for your country, it’s definitely a very special feeling. The wicket was a little more bouncy, a little spongy in the beginning. It’s been raining here for 3-4 days, so the conditions were a bit more challenging,” he said.
“We are preparing accordingly. Even when it rained for 3-4 days, our team came here and practised. We did batting for 2-3 hours, so it was a little beneficial.”
The ongoing T20I series and the subsequent ones are useful before the next edition of the World Cup, to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in 2026. As defending champions, India will have a target on their backs and it will be up to Samson & Co to do justice to their status. The team has adopted an ultra-aggressive approach, regardless of conditions and opposition.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀
ft. Sanju Samson, Ravi Bishnoi & Varun Chakaravarthy 👏 👏
WATCH 🎥🔽 #TeamIndia | #SAvIND | @IamSanjuSamson | @chakaravarthy29https://t.co/8gK7izGm3i
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 9, 2024
“What we have been saying in the dressing room from so many seasons right after winning the World Cup or even in the last 2-3 years is that ‘even if you lose the toss and even if the conditions are tough, we have to go all out. We can’t think that we will have to look for something like 160-170 on these wickets because I think chasing becomes a bit easier. We were just looking to attack even knowing that the conditions are slightly helping the bowlers,” Samson said.
“We are the world champions at the moment. So I think we have to play like that and just keep on looking to dominate in this format.”
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