Perpetually under scrutiny and often questioned about his place in the side, Sanju Samson described his match-winning night as the moment he had always dreamed of — a reward for years of belief through uncertainty and self-doubt.
“It means the whole world actually to me. I think right from the day I started playing, started dreaming to play for the country, I think this is the day I was waiting for. And I’m very grateful, very thankful,” Sanju said after his defining knock.
Reflecting on his journey, he acknowledged the inner battles that accompanied his rise.
“And I’ve always had a very special journey with lots of ups and downs, but I’ve kept on doubting myself, kept on thinking, what if, what if, can I make it, can I make it? But I kept on believing and thanks to the Lord Almighty for actually blessing me today. So I’m very happy.”
Sanju credited years of experience in the format — both playing and watching — for shaping his understanding of how to handle pressure situations.
“Yeah, I think that’s why I have been playing this format for a very long time. I think playing IPL around 10 to 12 years and playing for the country from last 10 years, I have not been playing, but looking from the dugout, learning from the greats like Virat Kohli, from Rohit Sharma, like all the greats.”
He stressed the importance of observation and learning, even during phases when he was not a regular in the playing XI.
“I think it’s very important to observe and learn and see what they were doing. I think that really helped me to, I think with my experience, I have only played maybe 50, 60 games, but I’ve seen around 100 games and I’ve seen how the greatest people have finished the games and how do they change their game according to the game.”
Explaining the contrast between different match situations, Sanju highlighted how adaptability is key in T20 cricket.
“So I think the last game we were batting first, so it was all about setting a very high score. So that’s how I wanted to go big right from ball one. But this game was completely different. I think as soon as I wanted to go a bit higher, we were losing wickets. So I think I wanted to build a partnership, wanted to keep focusing on my process.”
He insisted that he was not chasing milestones, but simply concentrating on his role.
“And I never felt that I will do something special like this, but I was just focusing on my role and just keeping one ball at a time and very grateful. I think this is one of the greatest days of my life.”
Sanju also admitted that even amid crowd support and momentum, doubt can creep in.
“Yeah, definitely they do bring a lot of energy and they do bring a lot of support. But I think on the other end, there is always a question, what if not? So definitely that keeps on playing in your mind.”
His solution, he explained, was to stay grounded in the present.
“But when that thought kept on coming, I just brought myself into the present moment and just looked at the ball and trusted myself to react according to the ball in merit. So I think that worked out pretty well today.”
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