SAJI CHACKO
NEW DELHI: SANJU Samson entered Team India almost as an afterthought, but by end of the tournament he had unleashed a batting tsunami that fetched the Men in Blue the T20 World Cup title.
The 31-year-old wicketkeeperbatsman emerged as the driving force behind India’s triumph and was deservedly named ‘Man of the Tournament’. His innings of 97 in the quarter-final, 89 in the semis and 89 in the final were not merely impressive – they were match-defining performances.
What made Samson’s fairytale run even more remarkable was that just a week before the tournament he was not even certain of a place in the playing XI. For years he had lived with the burden of unrealised promise. Selection setbacks, patchy form and bouts of self-doubt had repeatedly stalled his progress.
At the start of the World Cup, history seemed to be repeating itself. Samson found himself on the bench while Ishan Kishan took over his twin roles. He almost sneaked through the ‘backdoor’ when opener Abhishek Sharma was injured in the match against Namibia.
An afterthought who unleashed a tsunami
Sport often turns on moments of opportunity. Samson seized his when he produced a career-defining 97 against West Indies in the must-win game in Kolkata. The innings did more than keep India alive in the tournament – it signalled the arrival of Samson 2.0, a new version of the player who had learned to balance flair with control.
Behind that transformation lay hours of quiet correction. A technical flaw had long troubled Samson’s batting. His exaggerated trigger movement often left both feet locked together, compromising his balance and leaving him vulnerable to the short ball. Sanju worked hard on ensuring that his left foot moved only halfway back during the trigger.
The adjustment may have been minor, but the results were not only striking, but epoch-making!
