T20 World Cup: 'Outsider' Sanju Samson toast of the nation overnight

The proverb goes something like this: success has many fathers, failure is an orphan. Soaking in the magical atmosphere after India rode the calm assurance and class of Sanju Samson to the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup late on Sunday evening, one couldn’t help replaying it in one's mind.

The first question directed to Gautam Gambhir at the post-match press conference saw the head coach break into effusive praise for the wicketkeeper-batter: "He is a world class player, we all know how good a player Sanju is. It was all about backing him and then when the team needed him the most, obviously today was a day where he probably showed his true potential as well.’’  

This was minutes after his captain Suryakumar Yadav took his hat off to Sanju as the latter walked back to the team dugout after the successful chase.

Contrast this to the situation just a week ago, when it looked as though the self-effacing Malayali from Thiruvananthapuram could well spend another T20 World Cup almost as a passenger after the 2024 edition — where he didn’t play a single match while playing second fiddle to Rishabh Pant.

The captain’s response to a media query ahead of the South Africa game as to whether Sanju could be considered ahead of Abhishek Sharma was: ‘’Are you telling me I should include him in place of Abhishek?’’ Then, in response to the possibility of him replacing an off-colour Tilak, Surya’s response was: ‘’Oh, so I should play him in place of Tilak (Varma)?’’

The U-turn was complete last night, when the captain said of his matchwinner: "Good things happen to good people who wait."

At 31, with 10 years of international cricket behind him, Samson knows deep down that he is still a bit of an outsider who has to keep proving himself over and over again to be in the reckoning. Nothing wrong with that, given the problem of plenty in Indian ranks, but how does one justify the unfair treatment after being primed to take over the role of Rohit Sharma at the top of the order once the 'Hitman' retired from the format?

Just ponder this: before the Asia Cup last year, Gambhir rehabilitated Shubman Gill out of the blue as the new T20 vice-captain in place of Axar Patel, making Gill and Abhishek Sharma the new opening pair while Samson was pushed down the order in an ad hoc arrangement.

Truth be told, the T20 format didn’t look like Gill’s cup of tea, and just when it looked as though Sharma and Samson would be the opening pair during India's title defence, the latter endured a torrid time during the five-match New Zealand series.

It was hence time for Ishan Kishan to grab the opportunity with both hands and Samson continued to wait in the wings — until the 97 off 50 balls at Eden Gardens on the night of Sunday, 1 March.

The masterclass on display may not offset the lost years for Samson — who made his IPL debut as a sensation for Rajasthan Royals as a barely18-year-old under Rahul Dravid. Hailing from Kerala — a state better known for its football prowess other than the occasional S. Sreesanth — he was hailed as a prodigious talent but over the years, earned notoriety for his swings from the sublime to the exasperating.

Yes, he does have three T20I centuries against his name in bilaterals but while it would be difficult to recall any one of them from the drop of a hat, the 97 on a historic venue and the viral image of his slumping to the ground on his knees for a quiet prayer will remain in the memories. It’s not for nothing that an outstanding performance in the big stage always stands the passage of time.

How was his innings different from many a sparkling effort he unleashed throughout a storied IPL career as well as both ODIs and T20Is? It was his singlemindedness. The intent to finish the game, which saw him take fresh guard after reaching 50 off just 26 balls — along with intent of a different kind. perhaps? To show that world that one could play perfect cricketing shots during a T20 chase against a quality opposition and still bat at a 190-plus strike rate.

How, otherwise, would you justify the straight drive off Shamar Joseph for a boundary or the way he caressed Roston Chase to the point boundary? Gambhir described it best: ‘’Look, I actually thought he never accelerated the innings. It was just very, very normal cricketing shots and I never saw any muscling the ball as well, and that is the kind of talent he has.’’