On the historic night of their T20 World Cup triumph the players were rejoicing in their own inimitable ways at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad last Sunday. Some were dancing, yelling, while some were capturing each of those unforgettable moments in their phones. Some were celebrating with their families too. One person stood out in the melee. Sanju Samson. Perhaps brooding over the turn of events that propelled him to such stardom.
The India opener just bagged the Player of the Tournament award after playing another match-winning innings. He was standing in front of the temporary dias all alone before his wife Charulatha Remesh joined him. Clasped in his hand was the trophy — perhaps as a reminder of all that he had to endure during those dark and dreary days when he was sitting on the bench looking for that opportunity to strike. He was soaking every bit of the beautiful moment, away from the crowd. And why not? He has earned every bit of it.
Sanju was not in the playing XI when the World Cup began. He was struggling with form and the final was the last thing in his mind. But destiny had other plans. The final scene was of composure. This may seem unusual, but for those who know him this is what Sanju as a person is. Quiet and grounded, unassuming yet witty. A person with whom one can relate irrespective of caste, creed and region.
It is not difficult to understand if one follows his background. Fondly known as Chetta, Sanju was born in Vizhinjam, Kerala, a pious christian settlement. His belief in the historic Portuguese church of his village is unflappable.
He spent his early years in Delhi before moving back to Kerala to pursue his cricketing ambitions. His biggest influences have been both his father and grandfather. He can speak Hindi, is a fan of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth and looks and behaves like the boy next door in any South Indian household.
What stood apart even during his childhood was his absurdly talented batting. It is something Biju George noticed very early. “I knew he was special, I was 100 per cent sure about that. His first turning point came after an outstanding performance in Under-13 cricket — Kolkata Knight Riders called him for a camp,” the childhood coach had told this daily.
Over the next few years, Samson was fast-tracked as he moved up the ranks in IPL with Rajasthan Royals and even made his India T20I debut at 20. The next decade, however, was a long agonising wait. Call it bad luck or lack of consistent opportunities or not making the most of it when he could have, Sanju spent years on the sidelines, watching prodigies become stars and stars become legends in Indian cricket.
There were years where he excelled at IPL but never got to break into the heavily-crowded India top-order. There were moments where he felt broken, where he thought his time may never come. He tried his best, but in elite sport one fails more than they succeed. Sanju learnt that over the years. Yet, all the while, despite not playing regularly for India, his stardom grew. It seemed inevitable even. It was visible when he captained RR in IPL or even India A in Chennai.
Thousands turned up at Chepauk to cheer for Sanju who took pictures with them after the match. They all waited for him to shine on the big stage. This World Cup the statistics reflected his enormous talent. 321 runs in five innings, three match-winning knocks in as many must-win games — from being the star that could not step up, the 31-year-old finally delivered. He still remembers the last time he was in the World Cup winning team. “I had to spend time on the sidelines (in 2024),” he told the official broadcasters after the final.
This time he did not want to be just a secondary fiddle. It was not easy, either. He had kept believing in himself and one man who helped him surmount those troubles was Sachin Tendulkar. His SOS to the legend helped him recover. “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,” he said, before adding, “When I was with the 2024 World Cup-winning team in the 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. And by God’s grace, I think today things have turned around. I’m very proud and very happy that I was courageous enough to dream about it,” Sanju said.
Tendulkar knows a thing or two about being a player of the tournament without winning a World Cup. Here, Sanju had both as he sat quietly on the podium, watching everyone around him celebrate. He knows no matter what happens from here on, he has earned the respect of the cricketing world and love from 1.4 billion people of this country. For someone who spent years on the sidelines, the hours in the limelight could be eternally fulfilling.