CHENNAI: Minutes after India defended their men's T20 World Cup title, Sanju Samson opened up on how he kept in constant touch with batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar when things were not going his way a couple of months ago.
"From last couple of months, I have been in constant touch with Sachin Tendulkar sir. I think when I was outside, sitting outside in Australia, I was not playing a game. So, I thought about, okay, what is the mindset required now? So, I reached out to sir and I had huge, huge big conversations with him," Samson, who was adjudged Player of the Tournament, told broadcaster after India defeated New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final on Sunday.
The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter played only five matches in the tournament but emerged as the leading scorer of India with 321 runs. He also finished third in the leading run scorers' chart. Samson slammed three back-to-back half-centuries — one each against West Indies in the must-win Super Eights match, versus England in the semifinal and against New Zealand in the final — to help India win their third title.
Samson said the former India called him up ahead of the match as well. "And yesterday also, he called me up to check how am I feeling. So, I think getting a guidance from someone like him, what more can I ask for? I think that clarity, that game preparation, that game awareness, that game sense, I think I’m very grateful for everyone who supported me."
The last two years have been a rollercoaster ride for Samson. He was in the squad for the 2024 edition of the marquee event but didn't get a game. Samson almost played the final where India defeated South Africa but unfortunately ended up sitting on the bench due to team combination. In the lead up to the T20 World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, Samson's struggles only grew adding to his woes. His show against New Zealand in the five-match bilateral series meant he was benched for the opening game against the USA and got a chance only when opener Abhishek Sharma was hospitalised due to serious stomach inspection.
With India losing wicket to on-spinners in the first over in the next three matches meant Samson came back to the playing XI and since then he never looked back making the opening slot his own. It all started with a Super Eights contest against Zimbabwe and got only better when he hammered an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
He was overwhelmed with emotions when asked about his comeback. "Feels like a dream, actually. Very, very happy, very grateful. Out of words, out of emotions. I’m just going through it, so it feels a bit surreal. To be very honest, I think it all started one to two years before. When I was with the 2024 World Cup-winning team in West Indies, I couldn’t play a game. I kept on visualizing. I kept on dreaming. I kept on working. This is exactly what I wanted to do then. I thought I need to work in, I need to put in so much of work that this is exactly what I wanted to achieve. And by God’s grace, I think today things have turned around. I think right after the New Zealand series, I was broke. I was completely out of my mind. I was like, okay, my dreams have shattered. Okay, what else can I do? But God had different plans. I think I suddenly came back into the crucial games and I did what I could for my country. So, I think I’m very proud and very happy that I was courageous enough to dream about it," he said.