Deep-throated chants of ‘Sanju, Sanju, Sanju’ reverberated around the MA Chidambaram Stadium on February 26 as India’s openers walked out to kick off the first of their four must-win games in the T20 World Cup, against Zimbabwe.
The object of their unchecked adulation seemed unaffected by the approbation, determined to make the most of his inclusion in the playing XI on his own steam for the first time in the tournament. Sanju Samson had made a guest appearance in India’s second outing, against Namibia in New Delhi a fortnight earlier, but that was only because Abhishek Sharma was in hospital with a stomach infection. Now, Samson was striding out alongside Abhishek after India were forced into a structural rejig after losing a left-handed opener to off-spin in the first over of their innings for three matches on the trot.
With Ishan Kishan dropping down to No. 3, Samson’s right-handedness became a virtue at the top of the order, but that was not why the Chennai fans were going nuts. It was going to be their first sighting of Samson at his new ‘home’ in the Indian Premier League, after he was traded out to Chennai Super Kings from Rajasthan Royals in the closed season.
For the average CSK fan, there is Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and then there are the rest, though the rest too are treated with reverence and admiration. Samson was different, almost a son of the soil considering that he hailed from neighbouring Kerala; his pan-India fanbase is staggering and it was no surprise to see Chepauk break out into spontaneous roars when Samson walked out to take guard.
The opener didn’t disappoint. There was no magnificent edifice – those would come over the next three innings – but he warmed up for his future heroics with a breezy 24, off 15 balls. More importantly, he put on 48 with Abhishek, India’s first meaningful opening alliance of the World Cup. Chennai couldn’t have been more delighted; it couldn’t also have been more impatient for IPL 2026 to kick off.
From World Cup zen to IPL pressure: Samson’s struggle to reset in yellow
Ten days into Season 19, the Samson fairytale has yet to materialise. CSK and its zillions of passionate followers are still awaiting the first slice of Samson magic. Three outings, three failures for Samson and three losses for the team is what CSK’s report card reads. In some quarters, there is a sense of disillusionment and scarcely concealed anger at what is perceived as a distinct lack of ‘commitment’ from the 31-year-old, but as everyone knows all too well, these quarters are just one big knock away from changing their minds.
Samson will be the first to admit that there has been nothing promising about his CSK stint to date. In his first knock for the five-time former champions, he was dismissed for 6, against Rajasthan Royals. Subsequent scores of 7 and 9 against Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru respectively have done little to lift the pall of gloom. His contribution with the bat translates to 22 runs from 19 balls with two fours and a six which, coupled with skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s equally miserable run, has precluded the strong Power Play statements that are so essential to success in the 20-over format.
His glovework – whether he will continue in his avatar as wicketkeeper when Dhoni returns from his calf strain remains to be seen – has been patchy and unconvincing, with even regulation gathers (not edges, thankfully for CSK) refusing to nestle in the mitts. All told, it has been a debut to forget for the popular but infuriatingly inconsistent Samson, who appeared to have turned the corner with consecutive efforts of 97 not out, 89 and 89 in the World Cup but who has relapsed into the meagre returns that have stymied his progress since his India debut nearly 11 years ago.
If there is something called ‘trying too hard’, Samson clearly is guilty on that count – perhaps of trying to do too much too soon, of wanting to reciprocate the love of the CSK at the first time of asking, of being desperate and wound up instead of letting his mind, and therefore his bat, flow organically. He is too human to be fully insulated from the unreasonable expectations of the CSK fans. The aura around him grew after his bouquet of knockout half-centuries at the World Cup and maybe Samson came into the tournament convinced that all he had to do to build on that success was to merely turn up. That’s not to say that his pre-competition prep was less than adequate; it speaks more to his state of mind than his preparation or his skillsets.
Determined to impose himself early on and mindful of boundary-riders on the on-side in the Power Play, Samson has attempted to make room and go over the off-side, which has proved to be his undoing more than once in the last ten days. When he was setting the World Cup alight, it was with a solid, strong, unpremeditated base. Maybe a relook at the videos of his batting against West Indies, England and New Zealand won’t be the worst approach, especially with so many games still left for Samson to rediscover equanimity, touch and runs by the bountiful.
Despite being an IPL regular for more than a decade, the shift to a new franchise after all that time spent almost entirely with Rajasthan can’t be easy, no matter how welcoming and empathetic the CSK management and dressing room environment might be. “It’s difficult when you’ve been at a franchise for some time and even though he probably feels pretty comfortable, there’s still an element of belonging and he’s going through the process of connecting with this team,” Stephen Fleming, the CSK head coach, conceded.
“He’s fitted in really well. He’s desperate for some runs and to contribute along with the senior players,” the former New Zealand captain went on. “But again, in T20, this (string of low scores) can happen. We saw with his World Cup what can happen when a batter gets on a run. He is one guy that can be very dangerous. There’ll be nothing but support and confidence given from us to Sanju as he forges his path in yellow.”
There couldn’t be a stronger show of support. Now, the onus is on Samson to repay the faith. He’s done it previously, there’s no reason why he can’t do it again. Perhaps the magic trick is to excise the past, set aside the hype and the burden of external expectations, and rediscover the Zen mode that took him to the Player of the Tournament award during the triumphant T20 World Cup campaign.
