Sanju Samson eyes one more match-winning innings

Sanju Samson is relieved to have produced two superlative innings to carry India into the final of the T20 World Cup, but he is not done yet and aims to play another match-winning knock to help India win the trophy for a record third time.

Samson, who had lost his spot in the Indian team due to a lack of runs not long ago, has come back roaring with scores of 97 not out in a virtual knockout against the West Indies, followed by 89 against England in the semifinal, especially when Abhishek Sharma is going through a lean patch.

Samson said while he is grateful, his toil must help the defending champions India lift yet another title with a win over New Zealand in the summit clash on Sunday in Ahmedabad.

“It feels really great or relieved that I have been actually, from (a) few years, trying to do something like this for my country,” Samson told reporters after India beat England by seven runs in the second semifinal here Thursday night.

“(I was) just waiting with a lot of patience, a lot of inner work, a lot of training, lot of practice. Definitely, I should be very grateful, but I feel that we have one more step to go. If we do that, then I think all the work, everything, was worth it.”

“That one more inning should be really good.”

Samson bludgeoned seven sixes and eight fours to make 89 off only 42 balls to provide India the momentum as they notched up the highest-ever score of 253/7 in a T20 World Cup knockout match.

The right-handed batter credited his 97 not out against the West Indies in Kolkata for providing the momentum and said it was important to continue with his form.

“(The) last innings definitely played a good role in this innings. I was timing the ball really well (and) taking good decisions. I thought ‘if you are in form, you should definitely contribute for your team in this game as well’,” he said.

“It means really one of the best moments in my life,” he said on the prospect of playing the final after sitting out in the summit clash of 2024.

Once again, Samson credited his experience of playing a lot of T20 matches, including in the IPL, for the maturity that he brings to his game.

“I have been playing this format for a very long time. I (must) have played around 300 or 400 T20s (329), so I have played from top (Nos.) one to six. I have (also) captained a franchise. So, I have the experience of knowing what does a team demands at the moment and what is my exact role at this level.”

“… that clarity definitely helps you to score runs the way you want to.”

Samson said Jasprit Bumrah was brought in the 18th over for the ace pacer’s last six deliveries as India wanted to finish the game early. He described Bumrah as a once-in-a-generation bowler. “The game was going neck-to-neck and they were trying to actually get 13s, 15s (runs) in an over. We knew that if we take the game till the end, they might actually get heavy on us, so we just wanted to finish off the game a bit earlier,” Samson said.

“... that is where we tried to bowl Bumrah and Arshdeep (Singh) and Hardik (Pandya) in those three overs and that played well to us.”

Samson stood firmly behind his struggling opening partner, Abhishek, who once again fell cheaply.

“We are taking care of all our players. We have a really great environment in the dressing room. Both of our leaders, GG bhai (Gautam Gambhir) and Surya (Suryakumar Yadav), have a lot of faith and confidence in Abhishek and we try to actually help him in the way he actually requires,” Samson said.

“He has definitely gone through lots of ups and downs in his career. He is also trying to find a way out and we all are with him and I think it is just a matter of a couple of sixes — he hits from the middle — and everything can change (quickly) in this format.

“We feel that the final is going to be his day. I feel that he is definitely going to come out really great on the last day,” Samson said.

The 31-year-old Samson also stood strong in support of another struggling member in Varun Chakravarthy, who gave away 64 runs for one wicket in his four overs.

“It is a very hard job for a spinner to bowl the sixth over in the powerplay where there is nothing much in the wicket and batsmen are trying to swing and get maximum out of that in the powerplay,” Samson said.

“I think credit has to go to Varun to take up that challenge and still be positive and do what he does, actually,” he added.