About three kilometers from Eden Gardens stands a tall building – the tallest in Kolkata – called The 42. The difference between it and the surrounding buildings is striking. Newly built, towering and modern, it towers over the city skyline with some of the most beautiful buildings in the country.
The nearby Victoria Memorial and the Cathedral of St. Pavla are a reminder of a bygone era, but their craftsmanship has stood the test of time. Their symmetry, their quiet dignity, their familiarity—they attract attention without asking for it.
Who would watch The 42 when there is so much beauty everywhere? Who would embrace a tower of steel and glass when the immortality of stone surrounds it? Central Calcutta landscape. (Photo: Instagram/Satyam Bhuyan)
Has Sanju Samson felt this way for the better part of his career?
From an early age, Samson was talked about as a prodigious talent as someone destined for greatness. The word “future” accompanied him everywhere. But that moment never came. Even in the last two years, when he found rhythm during the extended run under Gautam Gambhir, he was left out of the plans leading up to the T20 World Cup.
Surrounded by other generational talents like Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan, it once again seemed certain that Samson would be diverted from the playing XI. Silently, as before.
Being immensely talented is hard enough. Others see you differently. Expectations come before you. And when things don’t click, when the numbers don’t reflect the promise, doubts begin to creep in. Once this mental strength begins to crack, the negativity seeps through. So the Garden of Eden can slowly turn against you—not with the cracks on the surface, but with the doubts that quietly grow beneath.
“Human nature is that we always start from the negative, like maybe it won’t happen,” admitted Samson, who was under a lot of pressure after his innings at the Eden Gardens.
SANJU SAMSON FULFILLS HIS PROPHECY
But Sunday was different.
The opener, he played the best knock of his career, with an unbeaten 97, which led India to their highest ever T20 World Cup chase and reached the semi-finals of the competition.
It was an important victory for the visitors. They showed the most discerning of supporters that they can mount a steep chase without relying on Virat Kohli. And Samson stood in the middle of that shift.
It was poetic that Samson finally found his moment in the sun in Kolkata, given that his association with Eden Gardens runs deep.
At the very beginning of his cricketing journey, Samson was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders lineup. The City of Joy poured their affection on the wicketkeeper on Sunday even before he looked to be in full command. Sanju Samson was part of the KKR team in 2012. (Photo: X)
Each of Samson’s shots, which included 12 boundaries and 4 sixes, was met with a rising roar. The right-hander’s ability to chase down 196 with a calm, level head brought Eden alive. Unhurried and unhurried, even as the query rate hovered, Samson seemed to work at his own pace, hoping to bend the game if he held his shape long enough.
On Sunday, Eden felt like India’s 12th man – maybe even Samson’s 12th man. During the more complex passages, the crowd clapped along to the beat, building to a crescendo that the players visibly fueled. There were loud jeers directed at opposition fast bowler Shamar Joseph as he stuttered during the run-up and fell off his stride more than once.
In that cauldron the noise was like a charm to protect Indian minds from doubt, from the pressure of difficult games. The stadium and its people seemed to understand their role – to hold the line emotionally on a night when India needed reassurance. T20 World Cup: Eden Gardens turned up in numbers during the IND vs WI game.
And then the moment finally arrived.
The long-promised prophecy that had followed Samson since he was a teenager – that one day, in the great night, in the great chase for India, he would be the man at the center of it all.
For years he was a talent waiting to hit the stage. A stage awaited him on Sunday.
EDEN GARDENS STAND TOGETHER FOR SANJA
97 not out was his first decisive innings in a worldwide tournament. Not a portrait. It’s not a promising 30. It’s not a sleek 45 that people ask for more. This was a responsibility accepted and carried through to the end. It was poise under the lights, under the noise, and more importantly, under the expectations.
And maybe that’s why Samson didn’t throw his hands in the air after hitting the winning runs, he gave up.
When Samson hit the winning runs, he dropped to his knees. First he spread his arms and lifted his eyes upwards as if calling to the heavens. Then he clasped his hands together, perhaps seeking a blessing. And then he made the sign of the cross across his chest – recognition, silent thanks.
All beliefs in one moment.
Even Eden, divided by religion and class beyond its gates, rose in unison. “Sanju, Sanju,” chanted around the stands before changing to AR Rahman’s “Ma Tujhe Salam”.
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There was something decent about that confluence. Samson clasped his hands, made the sign of the cross, and looked up to heaven in gratitude. Around him a stadium where every faith, every language, every class resides – reacting as one. On Sunday it didn’t matter which god Samson prayed to. What mattered was faith—faith that the waiting was worthwhile, that patience was not wasted, and that the prophecy was not misplaced.
After the match, honest Samson talked about soul searching. On the process of staying positive during the most uncertain stretches of his career, when he felt like he was going to re-read the script—almost there, but not quite.
“When I get that (negative) thought, I try to change it with a positive thought. I had a series like New Zealand where I wanted to perform and be part of the World Cup team, but it didn’t work out. Fortunately, I got a ten-day break, I didn’t play any games and I kept thinking what else, why it didn’t work, what should I do. I made some basic thoughts and let myself come back. The setbacks on my soul helped me to come back back. I’m glad it happened in a special game today,” Samson admitted.
THE LAST PIECE OF THE PUZZLE
As India progress to the semi-finals of the World Cup, where they face a dangerous England side, Samson is at the center of their campaign, surrounded by a cluster of gifted players who can change the course of the game in the matter of overs.
There is something appropriate about the arc of this night. A cricketer who had been dropped once, often without explanation, returned not with defiance but with insight. Not by brute force, but by elegant stability.
Sanju Samson, like The 42 in Kolkata, now stands at the center of India’s plans. It may have seemed out of place once, but cities evolve. Teams evolve. And sometimes what looks bad at first turns out to be a missing line on the horizon.
Without it, the picture seems incomplete.
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– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
02 March 2026 17:01 IST
