Sanju Samson finds his base again as timing, not tinkering, revives his World Cup dream

Batting, in effect, is a million moving parts. From the position of one’s head to the angle of bat swing, it is a process that is as complex as it is intertwined.

When a batter is in form, it all coalesces into one seamless exercise. But when the runs stop coming, self-awareness kicks in, forcing one to dissect the method that felt like second nature.

Over the last year, Sanju Samson was consumed by one such crisis of reflection, resulting in the Indian batter becoming a fidgety mess at the crease. Driven by his spiralling batting form, Samson experimented with his batting technique, which only seemed to compound his troubles.

On Sunday at the Eden Gardens, Samson’s turmoil – both mental and technical – finally churned into a picture of clarity.

Against West Indies, in a virtual quarterfinal, he regained his long-lost batting conviction, scoring an unbeaten 97 to drive India to a memorable win.

It wasn’t that Samson reverted fully to his pre-2025 batting model, characterised by supreme stillness. He still shuffled around in the crease, often squeezing himself back against the Windies pacers.

What changed, though, was the timing of those movements. Right across his innings, he got through his many triggers well before the ball’s release, ensuring a stable base for him to execute his shots.

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This was an outcome of a conscious course correction, as confirmed by Indian batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.

“I wouldn’t want to go into the details. But yes, we did work on his initial [movement] a little. We were just trying to create a better base for him. He also felt he was getting ready a little early, and that helped him,” said Kotak during a post-match interaction on Sunday.

Another standout feature of Samson’s knock was his eagerness to stay put. In the last few months, he was criticised for his unwillingness to take his foot off the pedal, which often cost him his wicket after quickfire starts.

But on Sunday, Samson was calculative with his approach as he maintained the tempo of the Indian chase without taking on undue risks.

“[The] last game [against Zimbabwe], we were batting first, so it was all about setting a very high score, so that’s how I wanted to go big, right from ball one. But this game was completely different,” said Samson after the game.

“As soon as I wanted to go a bit higher, we were losing wickets, so I wanted to build a partnership and wanted to keep on focusing on my process,” he added.

Deservedly, the winning runs came from Samson’s blade – a chipped four over mid on. Immediately, he discarded his helmet and bat and dropped to his knees to look heavenwards with gratefulness, before crossing his heart.

“It means the whole world to me. Right from the day I started dreaming of playing for the country, this is the knock I was waiting for. Had a very special journey. Had a lot of ups and downs. kept doubting myself, thinking will I make it? But I am thankful to the Almighty for blessing me today,” said Samson, moments after he received a standing ovation from a loud Eden crowd.

Sanju’s performance on Sunday was a remarkable high point in a rollercoaster phase of his career. It all began with a five-match T20I series early in 2025, when England’s pacers had cracked open a chink in his armour – a weakness against the short balls.

Samson responded by tinkering with his technique, adding exaggerated trigger movements to take him deeper into the crease to grant him extra time to deal with rising deliveries.

That decision, though, nudged the rest of his batting elements out of shape as his form tanked. Then came India’s decision to reinstate Shubman Gill as the opener, forcing Samson down the order and then out of the team.

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Just over a month before the World Cup, India backtracked by dropping Gill and reverting to Samson as the opener.

But the positional and technical upheaval still held Samson down. He failed to make an impact against New Zealand, allowing the in-form Ishan Kishan to swoop in and pick up the opening spot for the World Cup.

It felt like Samson’s dream of playing in the World Cup would fail to materialise – in 2024, he was an unused substitute right through the tournament.

But then, a window opened up in the World Cup after teams began to target India’s all-left top order – Abhishek Sharma, Kishan and Tilak Varma – with off-spin options.

India brought back Samson, against Zimbabwe, to break the monotony. He delivered an impressive cameo against the African side to assure himself a spot against the Windies and then went on to produce what could turn out to be a career-defining innings.

“Didn’t think I would play this special knock. But yeah, this is one of the greatest days of my life,” admitted an elated Samson at the post-match presentation.

Published on Mar 02, 2026