Sanju Samson’s journey in international cricket has been filled with promise, setbacks, and comebacks. Chosen for India’s 2014 tour of England, he spent years on the sidelines, often as MS Dhoni’s backup. His T20I debut came in 2015 against Zimbabwe, but limited chances meant he faced a four-year gap before returning in 2019.
Inconsistent form prevented him from cementing his place. Breakthrough moments came in 2022 with his first T20I fifty against Ireland and impressive ODI knocks, including an unbeaten 86 against South Africa. November 2023 marked a major milestone when he hit his maiden ODI century against South Africa, earning the Player of the Match award.
The year 2024 brought historic achievements — part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning team, Samson struck three T20I centuries in consecutive series, including back-to-back tons in South Africa, setting the record for most T20I centuries in a single calendar year.
The Turning Point Conversation
‘I’ve been on and off from the team and that was happening for a very long time. Honestly, that wasn’t easy. It was not easy to have those kinds of feelings. I had already played some 8-9 years of international cricket and I’d just played 15 games,’” Samson told Ravichandran Ashwin on ‘Kutti Stories with Ash’.
“I was there, I was not there. And I always tried to keep myself in a positive frame of mind. I kept assuring myself that it would happen, and different people have different journeys. Your journey is different, and be mindful of that, and you will get there whenever you are meant to be’. And suddenly the change happened after the [T20] World Cup.”
Gautam Gambhir became head coach and Suryakumar Yadav took over as captain. Samson recalled playing a Duleep Trophy match in Andhra, where Surya, on the opposing team, told him, “‘Chetta, there’s a huge opportunity coming up for you. We have seven games lined up and I’m going to give you all seven games as an opener’.” Samson said, “I was like, ‘Super. Seven games as an opener’, it felt great that it came out of the captain’s mouth.”
Gambhir’s Confidence Boost
The start wasn’t smooth — Samson got out for a duck in both matches of the Sri Lanka series, reviving memories of his past struggles. “I was a bit down in the dressing room, and Gauti bhai saw it,” Samson recalled.
He explained, “He came up to me and asked, what happened. I said, I got the chance, but got out for zero. He said, ‘So what’s the matter? I will remove you from the team only if you have scored 21 ducks’.” Samson admitted, “That kind of confidence from the captain and coach raised my confidence.”
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