MUMBAI – After years of inconsistent opportunities in the Indian cricket team, Sanju Samson has revealed that the arrival of Gautam Gambhir as head coach and Suryakumar Yadav as T20I captain proved to be the turning point in his career. In a candid interview with Ravichandran Ashwin on the latter’s YouTube channel, Samson shared how the unwavering confidence from the new leadership transformed his performance.
Samson, who is also the captain of the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, was candid about his frustration with being on and off the team for a long period. He recalled a specific conversation with Suryakumar Yadav during a Duleep Trophy game, where the new captain made a crucial promise. “He told me, ‘There is a good opportunity coming up for you. We have seven games lined up, and I am going to give you all seven games as an opener’,” Samson said.
This assurance was tested early on. Despite the captain’s backing, Samson struggled in the initial T20I series against Sri Lanka, failing to score runs in his first two games. Feeling “a bit down,” he was approached by coach Gautam Gambhir, who asked what was wrong.
It was Gambhir’s words that provided the much-needed psychological boost. After Samson expressed his disappointment at not capitalising on the chance, Gambhir’s response was both shocking and unforgettable. “He said, ‘So what? I’ll drop you if you register 21 ducks’. That’s the word which he used,” recalled Samson.
This profound trust from both the captain and coach became the catalyst for Samson’s remarkable comeback. Following his initial struggles, he went on a sensational run, smashing three centuries in his next five international T20s—one against Bangladesh and two against South Africa. This made him the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a T20I century and the only player to score three T20I tons in a single calendar year.
While his international career has found a new footing, Samson recently struggled in the T20I series against England, where he found it difficult to counter the short-ball tactics of the pacers. However, with Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav at the helm, his spot in the T20I squad for the upcoming Men’s Asia Cup looks secure, despite competition from other in-form openers like Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal.