Sanju Samson kept the meaning of his celebration private after India’s crucial win, but made it clear that the gesture came from a deeply personal place on a night he described as bigger than a hundred. After hitting the winning runs, the India opener sunk to his knees, looked up towards the heavens and acknowledged the support of the higher power.
“Very special moment. I am a great believer, and I want to keep it very private. And it’s a very special moment for me,” Samson said in an interview with Parthiv Patel on JioHotstar after guiding India through a tense chase at Eden Gardens.
The celebration quickly drew attention, but Samson did not offer a public explanation. Instead, he let the emotion of his words — and the context of the innings — explain why the moment mattered so much. In a pressure game where wickets kept falling, Samson said the chase demanded restraint, clarity and responsibility more than pure aggression.
“I need to finish this game”: Samson on adapting under pressure
“Yeah, absolutely. I think it was a bit difficult. I think looking at our batting power, I felt like 190 is chasable in Eden Gardens. I think when dew is coming, it gets a bit easier. But losing wickets at regular intervals made it a bit challenging,” Samson said.
He then explained how the situation forced him to move away from his usual instinct after getting set.
“To be honest, I think that’s where my kind of experience and my kind of role played a big part. I got a good start, but then normally after getting a good start, I want to just dominate and then finish off the game in a couple of overs. But I think when the wickets kept on falling, I felt like, okay, I need to finish this game. I need to take the game till the last moment and that’s what happened,” he said.
Samson also outlined the tactical shift in his batting approach between setting a target and chasing one in a high-pressure match.
“I think when you are batting first, you want to set up a big score. I tried to hit a lot of sixes. But I think when you are chasing a score like this, a pressure game like this, I think you tend to take a different option. You want to play a bit more boundaries than looking at more risk-taking options… So, I kept on timing it. And it came well today,” he said.
The wicketkeeper-batter also framed the innings as the result of a mental reset after a difficult phase. Samson spoke about a break from games, “soul-searching,” and returning to his “base” instead of overcorrecting.
“I kept on working on my base… very happy it happened in a very special game today,” he said, adding later: “Switched off my phone, switched off social media… I just listened to my own self… and then, very happy that how I am feeling at the moment.”
For Samson, that is why the celebration — and the night — carried unusual weight.
“This is more special than a hundred. Cricketers in India dream about a day like this… a young guy from Kerala… dreaming about winning a game for the country in such a crucial game. I dare to do that and very happy it happened today,” he said.
