On the back of becoming the first ever Indian cricketer to smash consecutive tons in T20Is, Sanju Samson has grabbed all the headlines. On November 8 (Friday), Samson entered the first T20I against South Africa with a ton under his belt and then, across a 50-ball stay, went on to script history. He’s hence been the talk of the town for the past 12 hours.

Grabbing the headlines is not something alien for Samson at the international level but, for the longest time, it had been for the wrong reasons. Prior to the maiden T20I ton against Bangladesh in Hyderabad last month, the right-hander averaged 19.32 after 32 games and was criticised and singled out game in and game out for ‘wasting opportunities’ and not being able to ‘cut it’.

Speaking after the game, the 29-year-old admitted that, at one point, after failing to replicate his IPL success at the international level, self-doubt started creeping in.

“In my career, I have had more failures than success. When you go through those failures, you start doubting yourself. People obviously say things, social media definitely plays its role, and then you also start thinking about it,” Samson said, reported ESPNcricinfo.

“‘Sanju, are you not made for international level? You are doing well in the IPL, why is it not happening in international [cricket]?’ But after so many years of experience, I know my abilities. If I spend some time in the middle, I know I have the shot-making abilities against spin and pace. And I know I can contribute to the team’s success and help them win a match.

“I kept telling myself, ‘No, it’s not like that. This is also a reality. There are lots of downs happening, but the upside is also really good.'”

After he registered scores of 0 & 0 in the two innings he batted against Sri Lanka in July, many wondered if Samson’s international career was over. But he’s since found a new leash on life after being moved up the order to open the batting.

Samson admitted that he was feeling down after the Sri Lanka series, but revealed that the communication from the coach and the captain enabled him to improve and come back stronger. Samson revealed that captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir adviced him to put in the hard yards against spinners to tighten up his game against the tweakers.

“Communication during the time of failure is also very important,” Samson said. 

“A player can get lost during his negative phase.

“During that time [after the ducks against Sri Lanka], I received a lot of phone calls from Gautam bhai and Surya, telling me what to work on. They said, ‘Your game against spin is looking dicey, so gather the spinners in Kerala and practise on the rough wickets.’

“If the captain of the Indian team is calling and telling you how to practise after two ducks, then you know that the captain is confident about you and he wants you to do well. All those small things play a huge role.”

Samson has thus far been openly backed by the new management led by Gambhir. The 29-year-old insisted that he is ‘grateful’ for the backing he’s received thus far.

“I am very grateful for the trust shown in me. I think I have been able to give it back to my team management.”

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