Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav’s ‘phone calls’: Sanju Samson reveals ‘turning point’ in his career

NEW DELHI: Sanju Samson is in outstanding form, delivering a blistering performance against South Africa. The wicketkeeper-batsman hammered a stunning 107 off 50 balls in Durban, propelling India to a commanding 61-run victory. His aggressive knock featured seven fours and 10 towering sixes.
Reflecting on the victory that gave India a 1-0 lead in the four-match series, Samson credited the senior members of the team for helping him overcome the mental challenges of representing India.
“When you have a supporting captain like Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam bhai and VVS Laxman sir, they all support you during failures,” Samson said at the post-match conference. “The way they communicate with you in your failures is very important. Everyone knows that if we are going through a negative phase, then the player can get lost there,” he added.
Samson’s 107 is now the highest individual score in a T20I between India and South Africa, surpassing David Miller’s unbeaten 106 in Guwahati in 2022.
His powerful innings helped India reach an imposing total of 202/8 in the first innings, earning him the Player of the Match award.

Despite a rocky start under Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as head coach, Samson has rebounded strongly with impressive performances against Bangladesh and now South Africa.
“So at that time, I received a lot of phone calls from Gautam bhai and Surya, telling me what to work on,” Samson shared.
“Your spin is a little bit like that. You collect all the spinners in Kerala and practice on rough wickets there. You do this, you do that. So if your Indian team’s captain is calling you and telling you how to practise after a duck, then you have confidence that the captain is trusting you,” he said.

“He wants you to do well. So I think all those small, small things play a huge role, I think, coming back here,” added Samson.
India and South Africa are set to clash again in the second T20I on Sunday in Gqeberha.