Sanju Samson's method behind his mayhem: Decoding Kerala batter's Kolkata masterclass

Sanju Samson finally highlighted on Sunday why he had been among the most discussed cricketers in recent years, why he had such a huge fan following and why every decision to bench or drop him has been met with endless outrage on social media, headlined by the justice hashtags.

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He had, after all, finally converted a promising start into a big score, completing his maiden T20 World Cup fifty as a result. What’s more, Samson delivered a masterclass in chasing in what was a virtual quarter-final against what surely was the best West Indian team in an ICC event in a decade.

Samson’s masterclass in chasing at Eden

And it wouldn’t be a stretch to call his unbeaten 97 off just 50 balls at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens a chasing masterclass at all. Samson, after all, had produced a flawless knock, one in which he showcased remarkable composure after the Men in Blue were set a challenging 196 to win by their fellow two-time world champions. He had also picked the moments to attack perfectly to ensure the team remained in the hunt throughout their chase, collecting 12 fours and four sixes as a result.

Samson barely got to bat in the first two overs of the chase, facing a grand total of two deliveries during this period, only to shift gears in style against Akeal Hosein with a four and two sixes in the space of four deliveries in the third, using a wide variety of shots, from a cut and a slog-sweep to a pull. The early assault against Hossein was key to India crossing 50 at the end of the powerplay as Abhishek and Kishan departed for 10 inside the first six overs, the former striking at less than 100.

Samson couldn’t afford to go into the shell once the field spread out and keep the scoreboard ticking through ones and twos. The required rate, after all, had gone past 10 at the end of the powerplay was only going to increase from thereon. Windies captain Shai Hope had, additionally, had held Gudakesh Motie – their leading wicket-taker in the tournament – until the eighth over, and would have been confident of slowing India down with the left-arm spinner as well as other trusted options such as Jason Holder and Shamar Joseph.

Samson handled this challenge without breaking a sweat from overs 6-10. And what stood out in his approach was how he targeted the bowler early in the over to try and exert pressure on the opposition – flat-batting a back-of-length delivery from Holder just two balls after the powerplay and welcoming Motie into the attack by slicing a flat delivery over extra cover for another boundary. He refused to let Shepherd settle either, smashing the all-rounder responsible for the only hat-trick of the tournament so far for a six and a four in consecutive deliveries.

Sanju starting afresh after fifty

Samson brought up his half-century with a boundary off Motie in the 10th over, cutting a flat delivery from the left-armer through backward point. Interestingly, as Dinesh Karthik pointed out while on commentary duty, Samson took guard at his crease right after bringing up his milestone, almost as if he was undergoing a reset and starting from scratch, determined to stay at the crease till the end and guide his team home.

Things did get tricky after the halfway stage. Captain Suryakumar Yadav (18 off 16) and senior all-rounder Hardik Pandya (17 off 14) could barely keep up with the asking rate, striking at 112 and 121 respectively. The 11th and 12th overs witnessed India score just six runs for the loss of Surya’s wicket, with the asking rate going past 11.

What was crucial for the Indian camp, however, was the fact that a well-set batter remained in the chase until the very end. Samson kept nicking a boundary almost every over until the 19th. And after he surpassed Virat Kohli’s record for the highest knock by an Indian in a chase at the T20 World Cup, it was only fitting for him to close out the game with a six and a four off Shepherd in the first two balls of the 20th.

This isn’t to suggest that Samson alone deserves full credit for India’s victory. However, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to imagine India finishing on the right side of the result if one were to take Samson’s unbeaten 97 out of the equation.

His knock, after all, was the glue that held the Indian innings together despite the early strikes and the mid-innings slowdown. And it was his nerves of steel that ensured India’s title defence entered the final week of the tournament .