Sanju Samson shares how Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav boosted his confidence when he returned to the T20I team.
Sanju Samson’s Journey to Confidence and Consistency
Sanju Samson is undeniably a talented cricketer. Yet, many were surprised when the right-handed batter struggled to deliver consistent performances and secure a permanent spot in India’s white-ball squads. It was only after Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach that Samson began to get a fair run in the T20I side. With Gautam Gambhir as coach and Suryakumar Yadav as captain, Samson earned the opportunity to open the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma in the shortest format.
Although this strategy didn’t yield immediate success during the series against Sri Lanka, Samson bounced back strongly in the subsequent matches against Bangladesh and South Africa, scoring three centuries.
In an honest conversation with Ravichandran Ashwin on Ashwin’s YouTube channel, Samson revealed how disappointed he felt after his poor performances in Sri Lanka. He also shared how Gautam Gambhir instilled belief in him, which ultimately brought out his best.
Currently captaining Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, Samson also recounted a motivating conversation with Suryakumar Yadav about his T20I inclusion.
“After the T20 World Cup, things changed suddenly. Gautam Gambhir bhai came in as coach, and Surya became captain. I was playing a Duleep Trophy game in Andhra, and Surya was on the opposing team. He told me, ‘There’s a great opportunity coming up. We have seven games, and I’m going to give you all seven as an opener,’” Samson said. “Hearing that from the captain was amazing. I played two games in Sri Lanka but couldn’t score runs. I was feeling low in the dressing room when Gautam bhai asked me what had happened,” he added.
Gambhir’s response surprised Samson. The coach promised him a fair chance and joked that he would only drop him if he got 21 ducks. “I told him, ‘After such a long wait, I got a chance but failed to capitalize.’ He said, ‘So what? I’ll drop you if you register 21 ducks.’ That’s exactly what he said,” Samson recalled.
“That kind of confidence from the captain and coach really boosted my own confidence and helped me perform,” he concluded.
Samson’s record in T20Is
Sanju Samson has represented India in 42 T20 Internationals so far, scoring 861 runs at an average of 25.32 and an impressive strike rate of 152.38. He boasts three centuries and two fifties in international T20 cricket, including his maiden T20I century against Bangladesh in Hyderabad, followed by two more centuries against South Africa.
In a candid conversation with Ravichandran Ashwin, Samson admitted that being in and out of the team for a long period was frustrating. However, everything changed after Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav took leadership roles.
“I know being in and out of the team for such a long time wasn’t easy. It definitely wasn’t easy to deal with those feelings,” said Samson. “I have almost completed eight to nine years of my international career but played only about 15 games. I always tried to stay positive and kept telling myself, ‘Okay, it will happen. Everyone’s journey is different; mine is different,’” he added.
Samson struggled to find form in India’s recent T20I series against England, finding it difficult to handle the pacers’ short-ball tactics. With Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal expected to join the squad for the upcoming Men’s Asia Cup, it remains to be seen whether Samson retains his place in the playing XI.
