If media reports are to be believed, and considering some of the Indian team management’s decisions over the last few months, India coach Gautam Gambhir doesn’t appear to have a great opinion of Sanju Samson. How else can one explain the sidelining of the Kerala batsman from the Playing XI?
But that should change now — following Samson’s unbeaten 97 on Sunday night that helped India set up a T20 World Cup semifinal against England, set to take place at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. When you hear what Gambhir said after the match, you know the ice is melting between the two.
“We all know how good a player Sanju is. It was all about backing him, and when the team needed him the most. Obviously, today was the day when he probably showed his full potential. I have always said that he is a world-class player. He is a great talent, and hopefully he can kick on from now and we can see a lot more innings like this.”
Samson himself had spoken of pressure in the lead-up the game
Samson, brought back into the playing XI against Zimbabwe after the mauling India received at the hands of South Africa in their first Super 8 game, himself had admitted in the lead-up to the virtual quarterfinal in an interview with TV commentator Ian Bishop that life wasn’t ever easy for an Indian cricketer and that they were always immense under pressure to deliver.
And that perpetual pressure appears to have done it’s job as Samson batted superbly in a crunch match for the co-hosts. He lost partners at regular intervals, but at no point did he look rattled. It wouldn’t be wrong to say it was a batting masterclass in chase. India really needed someone to put their hand up and do the job and Samson turned out to be that player.
But don’t for a moment think that the pressure is off him now. If anything, it’s going to increase. If you analyze Gambhir’s post-match comments, you would know straight away that Gambhir might be happy at the moment but he is not totally satiated, which means when Samson goes to bat against England on Thursday, he will have to pick up where he left off at the Eden Gardens. Life of an Indian cricketer is indeed not easy, even after success.
