Sanju Samson has spoken candidly about the emotional swing that took him from the verge of the reserves bench to Player-of-the-Tournament at last year’s men’s T20 World Cup.
The wicketkeeper-batter revealed at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi that a poor series against New Zealand – scores of 10, 6, 0, 24 and 6 – cost him a starting place when the World Cup began, and the omission cut deep.
“I am the type of person who does much better for others than doing things better for myself,” Samson said. “In that series [against New Zealand], I was competing with my own people and I was not very comfortable with it.
“I was too desperate knowing that my dream is so near. But was the team still trying some combinations? So, is Sanju there or not there? That kind of feeling played in my mind at that time.”
India opened the tournament with Ishan Kishan partnering Abhishek Sharma at the top; Samson stayed on the bench. When Abhishek fell ill he was drafted in for the Namibia fixture, made 24 off 15, yet lost his spot when the left-hander recovered. Another blow followed.
“I was absolutely broken because my dream was to win the World Cup and I was not even in the XI. I had gone away for five-six days and I started rebuilding myself, started preparing myself, knowing you never know what the game wants to give back to you.”
That rebuild was swift. India’s line-up, heavy with left-handers, began to look vulnerable against off-spin during the Super Eights. The selectors turned back to Samson for the Zimbabwe game, effectively a knock-out: four wins were needed, no slips allowed.
“I knew the team management had trust in me,” Samson said. “When the World Cup came in, I figured out what the team wants from you, so that is the mindset change which happened in my head.”
Samson responded with an unbeaten 97 against West Indies, followed by identical 89s in the semi-final versus England and the final against New Zealand. He finished third on the tournament run chart and lifted the trophy, a striking reversal that owed plenty, he insists, to India’s perilous position.
“Right from the Zimbabwe game, we had to win four out of four matches and the team needs you. So that’s when it became very positive for me, and I was very fired up. It wasn’t the start I wanted, but still, I was happy because the team was doing well and we were still winning the game.”
The 32-year-old’s surge inevitably reignited long-standing debates over leadership succession in India’s T20 side, especially with Suryakumar Yadav’s mixed results as captain. For now, Samson is keeping his focus narrow.
“Obviously, I had a dream that I wanted to be a world champion one day and it’s just not about one trophy, as it’s all about how many trophies I can win for my country and that’s all I play for.”
Analysis
• Samson’s case underlines how India’s abundance of left-hand batters can become a tactical headache when off-spin match-ups dominate. A single right-hand stabiliser suddenly felt essential once group games tightened.
• His own method – patient in the powerplay, explosive at the death – meshed neatly with Abhishek’s front-foot power. That complementary pairing could define India’s next cycle if selectors stay patient.
• Mental adaptability, more than technique, appeared pivotal. Samson admitted to feeling “too desperate” before the Cup; channelling that energy once the equation simplified to four must-win fixtures made the difference.
For India, the takeaway is familiar yet hard to master: selection policy needs clarity early, but room must remain for late, form-based tweaks. Samson’s World Cup journey proves that balance can be found – and, occasionally, can win you a tournament.
