Sanju Samson admits he was on the brink not long ago. A lean T20I series against New Zealand left him short of runs, short of confidence and, in his own words, “broke”. Two months and three blistering knocks later, the wicketkeeper-batter has finished as Player of the Tournament in India’s successful T20 World Cup defence at home – 321 runs in five outings, strike-rate touching 200.
“To be honest, there has been a lot of guidance and suggestions from senior players,” Samson said once the dust had settled in Ahmedabad. The most influential voice, he explained, belonged to Sachin Tendulkar.
“A lot of former players have reached out to me and tried to help me out. From the last couple of months… I hope I can share it here. I’ve been in constant touch with Sachin [Tendulkar] sir. When I was sitting outside in Australia [during the T20Is in October]… I wasn’t playing a game, I thought about what mindset is required.”
The conversations were lengthy, sometimes late at night. “I reached out to sir and had huge [long] conversations with him. Even yesterday [Saturday] night, he called me up to check how I am feeling. Getting guidance from someone like him – that clarity, game preparation, awareness and game sense – I’m grateful for everyone who supported me.”
Those exchanges provided the platform. Samson’s scores of 97*, 89 and 89 in must-win Super Eight and knock-out games dragged India clear whenever the batting looked wobbly. It was a sharp turnaround from the five innings against New Zealand that produced just 46 runs and cost him his place.
“Right after the New Zealand series, I was broke. I was completely out of my mind. I felt like my dreams had shattered. I thought, ‘okay what else can I do?’ But God had different plans. I suddenly came back into the crucial games [starting with the virtual quarter-final against West Indies], and did what I could for the country. I’m very proud and happy that I was courageous enough to dream about it and things have turned up nicely for me, so I’m really grateful.”
Anil Kumble, on television duty, labelled the surge a “masterclass from Sanju on how to build on form”. Faf du Plessis and Martin Guptill added that the right-hander had finally paired his natural stroke-play with a clearer game plan, something analysts have said was overdue.
Samson traces the roots of this purple patch to the last World Cup, when he travelled but did not play a single match. “To be very honest, this entire process started one-two years before, when I was with the 2024 World Cup winning team in West Indies,” he said. “I couldn’t get a game, but I kept on dreaming, kept on visualising, kept on working. This is exactly what I wanted to do then. I thought I needed to put in so much work that this is exactly what I wanted to achieve. By God’s grace today things have turned around.”
There is still a hint of disbelief. “I’m just going through it. It feels a bit surreal. This itself is very big for me, I need to enjoy it right now.”
For India, Samson’s late bloom could not have been better timed. For Samson, it is proof that a few honest conversations – and a nudge from a certain Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar – can steady even the most fragile confidence.
