Star India opener Sanju Samson has revealed that he switched off his phone and stayed away from social media to protect his confidence, which has paid off in India’s must-win World T20 clash against the West Indies.
Samson smashed an unbeaten 97 off 50 ballshit 12 fours and four sixes to guide India to a five-wicket win in their Super Eight match at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. Chasing 196, India needed an answer after a heavy loss to South Africa in the Super Eight opener, and Samson provided it.
Reintroduced at the top of the order to address the left-handed monotony in India’s struggling batting line-up, the 31-year-old justified his move with an innings built on clarity and control.
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“Shot selection was something I was constantly working on. I didn’t want to change too much because I knew I had performed the same setup,” Samson told Star Sports after the win.
“I kept trusting myself, turned off my phone, turned off social media and listened to myself.
“I’m very happy that it happened in a very special game.
CHASE MOORING
Chasing 196 was not easy, despite the dew settling later in the evening. India lost wickets at regular intervals. Captain Suryakumar Yadav scored 18 while Tilak Varma contributed 27 but Samson remained the central figure in the chase.
“It was a bit of a difficult chase. Looking at our batting strength, I felt chasing 190-odd at Eden Gardens when the dew comes is a bit easier, but losing wickets at regular intervals was challenging,” he said.
“To be honest, my experience and my role played a big part in that. I had a good start but when the goals kept falling I felt I had to finish the game and take it to the last minute.”
Instead of forcing high-risk shots, Samson relied on percentage cricket and chose moments to attack.
“When you’re chasing scores like this in a pressure game, you take different options and play more boundaries rather than looking at opportunities to take chances,” he added.
THEY SUPPORT THEIR METHOD
Samson also spoke about his incredible run ahead of the World Cup, including the home series against New Zealand, and explained how he used the short break to reassess his approach.
“It’s our human nature to often start with a negative thought like, ‘Can I do this? I don’t think I can.’ When I have that thought, I try to turn it into a very positive one,” he said.
“When I had a series like New Zealand where I wanted to come out and be part of the World Cup team, things didn’t work out but luckily I got a 10-day gap.
During this period he went back to the basics rather than making drastic changes.
“I wasn’t playing any games and I wasn’t in the party. I kept thinking, ‘Sanju, what else? Why didn’t it work? What else should I be doing?’ So I did some soul searching. I worked on my base, how I set up, and I came back to it.
“A lot of people had suggestions and I saw a lot of valid points, but at the same time I felt, ‘Sanju, you’ve scored three international hundreds in the same set-up’.”
A dream come true
Samson recalled the knock and said it was the moment he had always imagined.
“More than a hundred cricketers in India dream of such a day. I dared to dream. A young boy from Trivandrum, Kerala dreams of playing for the country and winning the match in such a crucial match. I dared to dream and it happened,” he said.
In a high-pressure contest at the Eden Gardens, Samson shut out the noise, trusted his method and delivered when India needed him most.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
March 02, 2026 11:22 AM IST
