Kolkata: The inconsistency was frustrating, but life too had been unfair to Sanju Samson. So, when he finally blazed an unbeaten 50-ball 97 against West Indies at Eden Gardens on Sunday night to ease India into the T20 World Cup semi-finals with a five-wicket win over West Indies, the 31-year-old was emotional, calling it “one of the greatest days of my life”.
Samson has been in, out, in, and then again out of the eleven, all in the span of just over a month. In the five T20Is against New Zealand in late January, Samson’s scored 10, 6, 0, 24, 6—46 runs at an average of 9.20. India were convinced he had got enough chances, so he was excluded for Ishan Kishan who had blitzed through domestic cricket and cemented his place in that series India won 4-1.
A chance came Samson’s way against Namibia – India’s second game of the World Cup –
only because Abhishek Sharma had a stomach bug. Though he made an explosive start (22 off 8 balls), another wait followed, this time a fortnight, till India recalled him, deciding to play all three openers and bring in the right-left top combination against Zimbabwe in Chennai after the heavy defeat to South Africa – India were dismissed for 111.
The target against West Indies was 196, the highest India have achieved in a T20 World Cup. India lost Abhishek early, then Kishan, followed by skipper Suryakumar Yadav just before they reached 100. Samson weathered those setbacks to craft the highest innings for India in a chase in tournament history, surpassing Virat Kohli’s 82* against Australia in 2016 and Pakistan in 2022.
Samson’s calmness stood out. Every time pressure built up, he hit a boundary to ease it. “He is a world class player,” said Gambhir. “We know how good he is. And when the team needed it most, he showed his true potential. Probably this is the time for him to kick off (on).
“I actually thought he never accelerated the innings. It was very normal cricketing shots. I never saw him muscling the ball. That is the kind of talent he has. When you know that you’re in control of the game and feeling good. He was hitting the ball really well in the nets. It was about going in the middle and showcasing that skill.”
Samson’s skills were never in doubt, but he has at times failed the test of temperament. After his knock at the Eden Gardens, he said he had been wracked by doubts in the past, which made the effort so satisfying. “I’ve kept on doubting myself…but I kept on believing.”
This belief has got Samson through the lowest of lows in the past year. Only after he hit two T20I hundreds in South Africa in 2024 did Samson become the first-choice T20 opener. Soon, poor scores caught up till India felt Shubman Gill should open. Gill came in as vice-captain, and Samson was pushed down the order. The Gill experiment didn’t work and Samson returned to the top, only for the shuffling to continue till Samson wasn’t even considered a starter in this World Cup.
India are convinced Abhishek Sharma is a star in the making. Kishan has forced his way back through domestic cricket, and delivered a brilliant 77 against Pakistan. Somewhere along, it was getting clear Samson was running out of road. It was just the tactical change forced after the South Africa defeat, to break up all-left top three.
Samson has also wisened from an India career that never seemed to really take off. “Last game (vs Zimbabwe) we batted first, so it was all about setting a very high score. That’s why I wanted to go big from ball one. This game was completely different. As soon as I wanted to go a bit higher, we were losing wickets, so I wanted to build a partnership and keep on focusing on my process.”
Samson had never stayed unbeaten till the end in the 29 run chases he had opened in T20Is and IPL.
Surya was gushing in his praise in a video by bcci.tv.
“The moment he came into the side, what he said, among the group when we sat together, was ‘let’s do something which the team wants, not what you want’. I think that comes with experience. Also, over the life he has seen so many ups and downs.
“I don’t want to take you back to what happened over the year, losing his position. Batting out of position and then coming back batting at the same position is not easy. The games which we play in ICC tournaments are won by courageous people. This was a courageous knock. You can get carried away by a good start, (but) the way he was batting he held one end together, took the team through, he deserves all the credit.
As Surya refers to Samson’s happy family, Sanju hugs his skipper, laughing: “Bas, bas, rulayega, kya?” (enough, want to make me cry?). On Sunday night though, he ensured a happy family in the dressing room.
