NEW DELHI: When Sanju Samson stood upright after his match-winning 97 against the West Indies, it was more than just a comeback – it was the fulfillment of a promise made at the very start of the T20 World Cup.Despite being India’s first T20I opener for over a year, Samson found himself left out of the playing eleven for the tournament opener against the United States of America (USA) at the Wankhede Stadium. Ishan Kishan’s strong form meant Samson had to wait.
T20 World Cup: Gautam Gambhir on Sanju Samson, Jasprit Bumrah and record chase against West Indies
What followed is now going viral.Before the opening game, Rohit Sharma walked up to Samson, put his arm around him and offered the words that would define the rest of his tournament.“Kaisa hai? Dukhi mat ho bhai. It’s a long tournament, kabhi bhi mauka aa sakta hai (“How are you? Don’t be disappointed. It’s a long tournament. An opportunity can come anytime),” Rohit told Samson, as revealed by a video posted by the official Instagram account of the International Cricket Council (IC International Cricket Council).At that moment, Samson was on the sidelines. But Rohit’s assurance proved prophetic.After India’s defeat in South Africa opened the door for change, Samson made a comeback. He first impressed with a fiery cameo against Zimbabwe before scripting something much bigger – an unbeaten 97 under pressure to anchor a daunting 196-run chase against West Indies to seal India’s most successful chase in T20 World Cup history. His road to that moment was anything but smooth.At the beginning of the season, his rhythm was disturbed by the compression of the order during the Asia Cup. Then came the difficult New Zealand series where scores of 10, 6, 0, 24 and 6 led to criticism and doubt.But Samson never stopped observing, learning and believing.After a masterful hour against the West Indies, he acknowledged the influence of Rohit and Virat Kohli.“I’ve been playing IPL for about 10-12 years and I’ve been with the Indian team for the last 10 years…I haven’t always played but I’ve watched from the trenches, learning from greats like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. It’s been very important to observe, learn and see what they do,” Samson said.From being dropped to one of the most memorable knocks in India’s T20 World Cup campaign, Samson’s revival now bears the imprint of Rohit’s embrace and those four simple words – “Dukhi mat ho bhai”.With a five-wicket win over the West Indies, India advanced to the semi-finals and will now face England at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday – the same venue where Samson once watched from the sidelines and waited for his moment.
