The Phoenix Indian Cricket Rises from the Ashes

Ace cricketer Sanju Samson's rise, momentary exit from the team and then entry with a bang-- with consecutive fifties and one proving to be match winner, is story which says that one can prove his mettle with props.

Indian team has always been selected on merit but other considerations weigh in, though infrequently. For a long time, Sanju Samson was touted as the next sensation. But self-doubt, inconsistent performances and recurring selection setbacks stopped him in his tracks. At 31, he seemed destined to join the long list of talented players who never quite realised their full potential.

All that changed when he produced a career-defining knock of 97 in the must-win match against West Indies in Kolkata on March 1.  The innings not only made him India’s highest scorer in ICC tournaments but, more importantly, signalled the emergence of Sanju 2.0—a new avatar who blended aggression with restraint to help India win the World Cup in what was arguably the finest performance of his international career.

Indian crickter Sanju Samson

The magnitude of Samson’s achievement becomes clearer when one considers that just a week before his epoch-making knock, he was not even a regular in the playing XI. For a player who boasts the second-best strike rate of 182—only Abhishek Sharma is ahead of him with 196—Samson has often found himself on the wrong side of the selectors.

He was first replaced as an opener and moved to the middle order before eventually being dropped from the side altogether. The lowest point came when Jitesh Sharma replaced him as the wicketkeeper-batsman in the T20 series against South Africa in December last year. Such a bolt from the blue would have broken the resolve of many players. But Samson responded differently.

He went back to the drawing board and worked tirelessly on his game. His biggest technical flaw was a lack of balance caused by a trigger movement that left him stranded with both feet locked together. This often left him jammed while attempting shots and particularly vulnerable to the short ball.

Samson spent hours trying to rectify this flaw, ensuring that his left foot moved only halfway back during his trigger. The hard work paid off. He was no longer shackled while playing pull shots—something he executed with authority during his memorable knock in Kolkata.

After scoring 22 in the opening match against Namibia—when Abhishek Sharma was injured—Samson, in a situation he has become accustomed to, was benched for India’s next three matches. Once again, he had to rely on his steely resolve to put the disappointment behind him.

When he got another opportunity against Zimbabwe, he scored a confident 26. Though modest in numbers, it was a composed innings that restored his confidence and set the stage for his defining performance in Kolkata.

What stood out most during that innings was Samson’s willingness to rotate the strike by running singles and twos. This is another dimension he has added to his batting. Previously, Samson relied heavily on boundaries for scoring. But on subcontinental pitches, where the ball does not always come onto the bat, constantly going for big shots can be risky.

To prevent the scoring rate from stagnating and the required rate from climbing, rotating the strike becomes crucial. Samson may have been a late learner in this regard, but he displayed the determination to master a skill that had earlier been missing from his repertoire.

Another striking feature of his innings was that he stayed till the end to finish the match for India. This too reflects a new maturity in his approach. The earlier version of Samson was often content to play a quick cameo before leaving the task of finishing the game to others. Not anymore.

Samson now understands that in the fiercely competitive world of Indian cricket, every opportunity must be seized and converted into something decisive. His faith—both in his abilities and in the value of perseverance—has been the cornerstone of his journey. Despite the setbacks and uncertainties, the Kerala batsman has continued to believe that persistence and hard work would eventually turn the tide.

The 97 in Kolkata may not appear as a century in the record books, but in terms of significance it could well rank among the most important innings of his career. It was more than just a match-winning performance.

It was the story of redemption, maturity and the arrival of a more complete cricketer. Whether this marks a permanent turning point in Sanju Samson’s international career remains to be seen. But one thing is certain—the emergence of Sanju 2.0 has given Indian cricket a compelling story of resilience, reinvention and belief.