‘No One Tells Me How I’m Burning’: Sanju Samson Vows To ‘Not Be Part Of The Rat Race’

Senior Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson has said that even ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20, he has decided to stop caring about outside opinions and play cricket on his own terms. He added that he no longer wants to be part of the “rat race” and will continue to trust his own instincts.Samson, who scored three consecutive fifties as India retained the Men’s T20 World Cup title earlier this year, was later left out of the Zimbabwe tour following a dip in form during the Ireland-England series.“I realized that there is a constant rat race going on in our country and I decided before the T20 World Cup in 2026 that I will not be a part of it. I just want to enjoy the game. I have achieved a lot by God’s grace. I am 31 now and have a few years left. So I have decided to play on my own terms. No one will tell me what to do with the bat or Sanja.”“With all due respect, I will play, enjoy the game, be a good teammate and support the group, but I will do it my way. After the 2024 World Cup, I didn’t even expect to play in the 2026 World Cup. At one point, I wasn’t in the 14 or 15-man squad. So how can I plan things for 2028 if I play well there? If not, I am deeply grateful that no one will take this success away from me,” Samson said on JioStar as quoted by news agency IANS.Samson also recalled a conversation with former Indian captain Virat Kohli during the national team camp and said Kohli advised him to focus on discipline and lifestyle to build a long international career.“We all know what Virat bhai is like. He is very clear and very straightforward with everyone. If you need something done, he tells you exactly what is required. The way he carries himself in the gym, there is a different fire in the guy and I really love that about him.”“We were both working out together in the gym during the Indian team camp and I asked him, ‘Paaji, what should I do? Tell me something too!’ and he told me that lifestyle plays a huge role. If you want to become an international cricketer, you have to maintain a different kind of lifestyle.“He shared what worked for him on his journey and said to me, ‘This food will help your body recover, this won’t. If you keep up this discipline for the next 10 years, you’re going to have a great career ahead of you.’ I started watching it for a year, a year and a half, but after that I just couldn’t stay on track with it!” he explained.Speaking ahead of India’s T20 World Cup semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium, Samson said he ignored discussions about his previous record against England fast bowler Jofra Archer as he believed he had improved as a batsman.“When you score runs for the Indian team, you become more responsible because you know you have to keep scoring. Before the T20 World Cup semi-final against England, our top order wasn’t playing much. I had a lot of people coming up and saying to me, ‘It’s England, Archer is bowling, he got you out 3-4 times, this happened, this happened.’“But I was confident. I didn’t say anything out loud. If you talk too much, you come across as arrogant, and that’s against my beliefs. So I just gestured quietly, ‘Yeah, we’ll see.’ But I had plans ready. I knew that this Sanju Samson was not the Sanju Samson of a year ago. After that knock from the West Indies, I had a lot of self-esteem and was very confident in myself. There was no room for doubt. I wanted to do it for my country and nobody could stop it.”Looking back on the World Cup final against New Zealand, Samson said he felt responsible for carrying India’s bat after becoming the team’s leading run-scorer during the tournament.“One thing I’ve learned is you can’t control form all the time. Form comes and goes. At that point in our team’s setup, I was the one running.”“The others at the other end also contributed, but a lot of the onus was on me to score. I felt the responsibility to be the top scorer in the World Cup final against New Zealand.”“I kept reminding myself, ‘Sanju, you are responsible. You have to go on. You have to stay there until the end and finish the job for your country.’ This thought kept me focused throughout the shift,” he elaborated.