How Sanju Samson Unlocked His True Potential: Stable Base, Class Reminders, and Zen Mode Chase: | Cricket News - The Tech Word News

Sanju Samson of India celebrates victory after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Super 8 match between India and West Indies at Eden Gardens on March 1, 2026 in Kolkata, India. (Photo: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images) TimesofIndia.com in Kolkata: “Kotsi, I am not playing and you are asking me to bat first.Every time Indian batsman Sitanshu Kotak hit Sanju Samson to hit the net in the first set, the batsman politely doubted it. He wasn’t in the playing XI plans, but the Indian team management made sure he stayed tuned and Kotak kept reminding him how good he was. The hits remained steady and purposeful and even without an immediate opportunity, the level of preparation remained high.

T20 World Cup: Gautam Gambhir on Sanju Samson, Jasprit Bumrah and record chase against West Indies

From India’s first choice to losing his place to Shubman Gill in the Asia Cup, regaining it for the New Zealand series and then seeing Ishan Kishan take his place in the World Cup, it has been a frustrating journey for the 31-year-old. The build-up to what turned out to be a night to remember for Samson was typically twisted, but it all eased as the right-hander fell to his knees, spread his arms, looked up to the heavens and crossed his heart.It was a relief more than a celebration, a prayer more than a grunt of victory, and it felt like a weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders. As the arms spread, they would be lighter and the wet eyes would tell the story. The most powerful message is delivered with the fewest words, and Samson chose none. While he was on the ground giving the photographers their perfect shot, the past ten years would flash before his eyes, even as the thousands in the stands distracted him with their flashlights.

For those few seconds, he felt like a monk saying a silent prayer of gratitude, undisturbed by the frenzy that had erupted at the iconic site. Even as the players poured out, only warm hugs followed. Captain Suryakumar Yadav took off his cap and bowed to his opener who played a brilliant run knock under pressure. Sanju steered India home with his steel ball 50 97*. Every cricketer lives for moments like these. After seeing senior pros Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma do it many times for the country, Samson simply imbibed their lessons and applied them to the match situation.“I think I’ve been playing IPL for about 10 to 12 years and I’ve been playing for the country for the last 10 years, I’m not playing consistently, but looking from the trenches, learning from the greats like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and all the greats, I think it’s very important to watch and learn and see what they’ve done. I think it’s really helped me, but I’ve only played maybe 0.05. 100 games and I’ve seen how the best players they finished plays and how they change their game depending on the situation means the world to me.“I think right from the day I started playing, I started dreaming of playing for the country. I think this is the day I’ve been waiting for and I’m very thankful and very grateful. I’ve always had a very special journey with a lot of ups and downs. I always doubted myself, I kept thinking what if? Will I make it? But I kept believing and thanks to the almighty, I’m so happy today,” said the almighty nowadays happy broadcaster.

Sanju Samson of India plays a shot during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Super 8 match between India and West Indies at Eden Gardens on March 1, 2026 in Kolkata, India. (Photo: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

Indian cricket, the 1997s and the World Cup go back a long way. The man who in the 2011 World Cup final vs. Sri Lanka scored an unforgettable 97, this time in the basement and applauding 97* from a player he has consistently supported. Gambhir was also unusually calm when the winning runs were scored. The only time you saw him show any emotion was when the right-hander scored a half-century and raised his bat towards the dressing room.The job was only half done for both India and Samson at that point, but the coach’s expression explained how much it meant to the entire rotation to see a player they had consistently supported perform when it mattered most. The wicket-keeper batsman took a fresh look after scoring his first half-century in the last 13 innings, turning it into the biggest contribution by an Indian batsman in a T20I chase, surpassing Virat Kohli’s 82* against Australia in 2016. It was also India’s highest run-getter in T20Is at the 12th World Cup in South Africa in their previous best 7 runs in South Africa. 2014.

“I never felt like I would do something so special, but I just focused on my role and took it one ball at a time and I’m very grateful for that. I think this is one of the biggest days of my life,” added an emotional Samson.Before this Eden Gardens special, Samson had never stayed till the end in a T20I or IPL run and the whole team would have loved it to have happened when it mattered most, in a high-scoring virtual quarter-final. Coach Gautam Gambhir, who has consistently backed Samson to succeed, praised the “world-class player” and hoped for a fresh start.“He is a world-class player, we all know how good a player Sanju is. And it was all about supporting him. When the team needed him the most, today was the day he probably showed his true potential as well. And hopefully now is the time for him to kick on. Hopefully, there are still two games left,” Gambhir said.

Sanju Samson of India plays a shot as Shai Hope of West Indies during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Super 8 match between India and West Indies at Eden Gardens on March 1, 2026 in Kolkata, India. (Photo: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

While Samson operated in zone mode during the tense chase, he got into very good positions and held his form even when attempting big hits. Batting coach Kotak revealed that they have been working on providing a stable batting base for the right-hander and have made changes to his initial trigger movement, which they believe drives him into position early. It was obvious that the imbalance in the distribution of weight between his two feet needed to be corrected. It had been in the works since the England series, where well-driven short deliveries led to his downfall.Without giving away the fine print, Kotak explained the technical tweaks in very simple terms.“I don’t want to go into details. But yeah, we worked on his initial movement a little bit because we were just trying to get a better base for him. It doesn’t make sense to go too deep into his technical stuff. I also felt he was getting ready a little bit early, and I think that helped.”

“In very simple terms, when you try to hit the ball when you have a lot of weight on one leg compared to when you have equal weight on both legs, your base is created better. Your hands obviously move faster. That’s something. But Sanju is someone who does two or three different things. We’ve been talking about it since the England series almost a year ago. So it’s nothing new,” Kotak explained.It was an evening where talent unlocked true potential. It was also an evening where thousands in the stands and billions watching at home witnessed a batting master class. A batting masterclass from a player who was regularly reminded of his class. However, after the Eden Gardens special, reminders from management to Samson and then from Samson to the rest of the world might well hit the snooze button.

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As he disappeared into the locker room after the customary handshake, he knelt again and thanked the Almighty with the television still playing live celebration visuals from the ground. However, the feeds for the next few days will be dominated by the Samson masterclass.