Sanju Samson's rise from the rut is also the story of Kerala cricket finding its feet, finally

It is turning out to be a great year for Kerala cricket. International cricket returned to the capital after a gap of 29 years as it hosted the third T20I  between India and New Zealand successfully, and their Ranji team has transcended expectations. Before the sixth round of the domestic tournament began, they were among the only three teams who had managed to register three outright wins. But they needed to continue the momentum to qualify for the next round and the fourth victory seemed improbable when they took on Saurashtra, which was among the three teams fighting for the top two spots in Group B. After being knocked for 225 runs and conceding the first innings lead to Saurashtra, the Sachin Baby-led side must have been in a state of despair. A draw would’ve more or less crushed their chances of qualifying for the knockouts. They needed individual brilliance to wrest control of the match; a swashbuckling innings was the need of the hour. In that quandary, Sanju Samson stood up. He thrashed the Jaydev Unadkat-led bowling attack all over the park. In his 180-ball 175-run knock, the 23-year-old cleared the fence eight times. It was an astonishing innings that took Saurashtra by surprise and completely changed the complexion of the game. At one stage, Kerala were in danger of being bowled out, but Sanju put them in a position of declaration and so they did, setting Saurashtra an unattainable target of 405. Jalaj Saxena took the mantle from Sanju thereafter as Kerala bundled Saurashtra out for 95 and inflicted a whopping 309-run loss on them. The dream of playing the knockouts still remained, thanks to Sanju’s ferocious innings. [caption id=“attachment_4235963” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Kerala, under Dav Whatmore’s leadership, have qualified for Ranji Trophy knockouts for the first time. Image courtesy: Kerala Cricket Association Website[/caption] Ten days later, Kerala steamrolled Haryana to qualify for the quarter-finals of Ranji Trophy for the first time in their history. Kerala’s upsurge could be put down to various reasons. The all-round show of Jalaj Saxena, the appointment of Dav Whatmore and the introduction of professionalism in his reign, or the camaraderie between the players considering many of them have been playing with or against each other since a young age. However, what must have pleased them the most would be Sanju’s revitalisation. Already an experienced campaigner at the age of 23, Sanju, with 577 runs at 62.78, is Kerala’s leading scorer in this year’s Ranji Trophy so far. “It has been a really good start for me and for the team, so I am very happy. With my own success, the team is also having a great time. After 15 years, we have won three matches in a Ranji Trophy season. So, we are very happy and excited that something is going to happen this season for the team. So, I just want to really contribute for my team and am really looking forward to the rest of the season,” Sanju told Firstpost after the season’s fourth round. Much like Kerala, 2017 has been kind to Sanju. ****** It is sunny amidst the rain threat surrounding the match. Ten minutes before arriving, Sanju calls me and asks me to come at Bait, a seafood restaurant, 100 metres away from Taj Gateway Green Cove. I meet him midway while walking towards the hotel. Sanju, who is accompanied by a friend, is wearing a simple blue jeans and a black T-shirt. He greets me gracefully and asks whether he didn’t make me wait for too long. It is difficult to differentiate him from any other boy of his age. He doesn’t seem to have the brashness which is often associated with cricketers and is soft-spoken. “This is my favourite place in Thiruvananthapuram,” he says as we reach Bait, the sea-facing restaurant. Sanju often visits this spot to unwind. The sound of waves is music to his ears and soothes him. He has been a regular here since four-five years and is so accustomed to the place that it takes us a few minutes to start the interview. The waiters and a couple of managers come to meet him and he hands them the game tickets. Like every cricketer, current or former, Sanju received innumerable calls and they all had the same request — a pass for the game. Sanju obliged and jested, “Gotta keep your people happy.” ****** The year 2017 might have been quite bright for Sanju, but 2016 was dark. The previous Ranji Trophy season began with a 154 against Jammu and Kashmir, but then form deserted him. In the remaining six matches, Sanju scored only 180 runs. His total tally read 334 runs at an average of 30.36. The on-field performances could still have been passed off as a lean patch, but an off-field incident made the situation worse. After a three-ball duck against Goa in the second innings, Sanju, foiled by the lean patch, allegedly broke his bat in the dressing room and then left the Wankhede Stadium without informing the team management. There are several accounts of that incident. Some claimed he simply threw his willow in anger and didn’t leave the ground. The others said the issue was blown out of proportion. Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) then served him a show-cause notice and an inquiry was set up. The crux of the point was the behaviour was very unlike Sanju, who was always perceived to be disciplined and cool-headed. “I think at the end of the day you have to accept that you are a human and tend to have emotions and feelings. I only underwent those,” Sanju reflected on the episode. [caption id=“attachment_4235959” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Sanju Samson’s favourite spot in Thiruvananthapuram; Bait seafood restaurant. Image courtesy: Devdutt Kshirsagar[/caption] What were these feelings? Since the age of 18, Sanju was tipped to be one of the brilliant batting prospects in India. He was closely followed by the media, more so in Kerala. With the limelight, came scrutiny. He was lauded for good performances but equally criticised if he failed. He had to shoulder the baggage of expectations and was putting in the hard yards since his teenage years. If years of toil doesn’t convert into success, frustration creeps in and venting it out relaxes the mind, even if for a short while. A problem with his knee worsened the situation. Sanju was not the first player who seemed to have an angry moment in the dressing room and is certainly not going to be the last. “I don’t regret any of my actions. It has passed and I have learnt from it.” The learnings were that he needed to score runs. A lot of them, as early as possible and that wasn’t going to be a problem. He had scored a lot many of them since his school days. ***** Every sportsman has a support system that guides them through tough phases. It was Ajit Tendulkar and Ramakant Achrekar for Sachin Tendulkar. Ajinkya Rahane falls back on Pravin Amre for batting tips. Gautam Gambhir travelled to Australia to rework his technique with Justin Langer. For Sanju, though, that help isn’t that far away. It is at a shouting distance. His father Vishwanath Samson has played a huge role in Sanju and his brother Sally’s mentoring. Vishwanath, a former police officer, was himself a sportsman. Unlike Sanju or Sally, his loyalty lied towards football. Sanju’s first tryst with the bat came at the age of two. Vishwanath, being an avid cricket follower, noticed the spark and started pushing him. Be it Sanju’s first break or his last Ranji score, Vishwanath knows it all. Ask him about Sanju’s first school match and he would dish out the details swiftly. Sanju’s 20-year journey has been as much about him as Vishwanath’s, and when it came to cricket, the latter allowed no leniency. Kerala U-15 state team’s camp was on. Vishwanath had just finished playing a game of football and he saw Sanju walk towards him unenthusiastically. Vishwanath immediately asked, “What is the matter?” “Achcha (father), main out ho gaya,” Sanju said. “Kitna run kiya.” “Zero.” “Go home,” came the swift reply. After heading home, Vishwanath picked up Sanju’s kit bag and dumped it in the attic and promptly informed him, “Son, no more cricket for you.” Sanju was distraught and had no choice but to skip the following day’s practice. Worried about his highest run-getter’s absence, the side’s coach rang Vishwanath to enquire about Sanju’s whereabouts. The coach got the same answer which Sanju’s mother was going to get for the next few days, “Sanju will not play cricket anymore.” Vishwanath withdrew Sanju’s name from the camp but mellowed down after a couple of weeks and what followed was a lifelong advice, “Listen, I am a small man and you need to understand this. You don’t have a godfather in cricket. Your will only come in the limelight through your bat. If you get out like this, how will you reach where you want to?" “Score runs and come to me,” he instructed Sanju. ***** So the challenge that Sanju was going to face wasn’t new; he had dealt with it all his life. The approach, however, needed to change. “What I really learnt was our cricketing society is built in such a way that we tend to keep on being desperate for our success. That time we sometimes lose our focus and we don’t enjoy the sport.” The word ‘enjoy’ was used several times by Sanju during our conversation. When Shikhar Dhawan was dropped from the Indian team, he too emphasised on the importance of enjoying his game. It is necessary to go back and remind yourself of the reason why you started, he said. Sanju started doing the same. “Now, what I focus and stress on is to keep enjoying the sport and keep enjoying scoring runs. And not think about what is going to happen in the future. I love to be in the present and just enjoy the sport. It has really helped me and I am really enjoying that mode,” Sanju said nonchalantly. [caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Delhi Daredevils batsman Sanju Samson celebrates after scoring a century against Rising Pune Supergiant in Indian Premier League 2017. AFP[/caption] The runs started flowing without the pressure. It helped that he was playing for Delhi Daredevils which provided him a familiar environment and the able guidance of Rahul Dravid. He was the top scorer for Delhi in the 10th season of Indian Premier League (IPL) and also slammed his first Twenty20 (T20) century, which he termed was “a special day” in his life. After the IPL, he worked hard on his technique and decided against a vacation. The one noticeable change has been Sanju’s strike-rate in the Ranji Trophy. In 2015 and 2016, it was 46.64 and 52.52 respectively, but it soared to 70.45 this season. Sanju has always been a stroke player. The last two seasons, though, he tried to alter it with little success. Returning to his old ways has benefited him. With a mind cleared of self-doubts, Sanju’s shot selection has also improved. Asked about his goals, Sanju replies, “I don’t set any goals. Goals are not at all in my control, I feel. Setting goals is like setting your future. So there may be people, who like setting goals, but I am not one of them.” Staying in the present and being graceful is Sanju’s new motto and he accepts it rather philosophically.

“I don’t know whether I will be alive in next two months. I may be dead tomorrow. I am not sure where I will be after two years. I am just living in the present and that’s the way everyone should live I think. I am very happy that I am alive today and unsure whether I will be playing tomorrow. So very happy with what I have.”

The fruitful 2017 is eclipsing the disappointment of 2016. Sanju was appointed the captain of Indian Board Presidents XI for the practice match against Sri Lanka and he responded with an aggressive 128 off 143 balls. ***** Halfway into last season’s campaign, Kerala sacked P Balachandran after an unsatisfactory start. The KCA then roped in the services of former India pacer Tinu Yohannan, but the side’s misery continued. They failed to qualify for the knockouts and registered only one win in nine matches. The situation refused to improve in the shorter formats as they crashed out of Syed Mushtaq Ali’s south zone leg and Vijay Hazare Trophy. In spite of possessing dollops of talent, Kerala was consistently failing to find an identity. There were issues with selection, the coaching wasn’t up to the mark and was on the defensive. Players’ form was also affected due to the constant management changes. Kerala needed a strong-minded coach, who could introduce professionalism, and at the same time mentor a young team. Dav Whatmore, who coached Sri Lanka to the 1996 World Cup triumph, was given that responsibility. One of his few observations after taking over was that Kerala had hardware, but its software needed to be fine-tuned. He wanted to focus on the mental side of the game as he believed that is what that matters the most once a tournament has commenced. [caption id=“attachment_4235957” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Sanju Samson has been in great form and is Kerala’s highest run-getter in this year’s Ranji Trophy. Image courtesy: Sanju Samson[/caption] Under his mentorship, the mood in the dressing room ameliorated gradually. The communication got better; tips were shared by juniors and well received by the seniors without any egos. Sanju, who, over the years faced constant pressure of performing as the team’s ‘best batsman’, was one of the biggest beneficiaries of this philosophy. “Obviously, he (Whatmore) is a very experienced coach. And I think a coach and the team’s atmosphere is really important for each and every individual and a team’s success. The coach, mentor and the team management really affects the team environment and team’s results. So (because of the changed atmosphere) we can see a lot of youngsters coming in and performing in their first (few) matches in Ranji Trophy level. Ranji Trophy is not so easy, but everyone is coming in and contributing. That is only because of the team management, seniors and the way atmosphere has been carried throughout the season. So, yes, Dav Whatmore has helped a lot,” Sanju remarked candidly. Apart from the working on the mental aspect, Whatmore also introduced fresh training methods. The productivity increased with methodical sessions. Tactics were planned in advance and discussions on how to implement them at the right time were also held. These changes have played a huge role in Kerala’s upswing in Ranji Trophy. ***** Kerala is famous for its academia. In sports, cricket has always been second to football, but KCA is trying hard to develop the sport. They have recently started a mega school-level tournament, in which almost 224 schools took part. The condition of cricket is changing in Kerala, and at the heart of that change is Sanju, the brand ambassador of the tournament. The little boy from Vizhinjam, who started making waves in Thiruvananthapuram with his consistent performances is currently the torchbearer of the sport in his state. The youngsters look up to him as an inspiration, and as Sanju Samson grows, so will Kerala cricket.