Sanju Samson exclusive: 'I was touched by the way Suryakumar celebrated my hundred. That is the quality of a leader'

A bonafide superstar in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and captain of the Rajasthan Royals, Sanju Samson is just one match away from his 50th international appearance. All of his international outings for India have come in the white-ball formats (16 ODIs and 33 T20Is). Now, the 29-year-old from Trivandrum, who recently scored his maiden T20 century for India , is eyeing a spot in the national Test team. In a candid chat with this correspondent, Samson discussed a range of topics.

Here are the excerpts from that conversation.

Question: As a kid, you wanted to impress Gautam Gambhir in Delhi’s LBS academy. Just recently, when you got your first T20I hundred, Gambhir as coach looked happiest for you. What are your thoughts on that?

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Samson: I think you are right. As you just mentioned, I agree that the relationship between a coach and a player is very important. The coach trusts in your ability and you want to repay that trust by performing well for your team. In Hyderabad, I was determined and desperately wanted to show Gauti bhai that if you are backing me and giving me the chances, I won’t disappoint you. In the Bangladesh T20I series, I didn’t score big in the first couple of matches and I was a bit hesitant to make eye contact with him but I told myself that apna time aayega (my time will come). So when I got that hundred in Hyderabad and the coach was clapping, I was delighted.

Question: As you just mentioned about apna time aayega (my time will come), where does this belief come from because you made your debut as a 19-year-old and then didn’t play for nearly five years? So much up and down you have seen. So, finally, can you say that your time has come?

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Samson: See, it’s almost a decade in international cricket for me since I made my debut in Zimbabwe all those years ago. Everyone’s journey is different as some get early success and some get it after waiting for a while. Some people even don’t get an opportunity in international cricket. There are a lot of people who have a dream to play for India and they work so hard and score a lot of runs. Yes, it has been on and off in terms of establishing myself in the team but I have always been grateful for whatever chances I have got. There has never been bitterness or negativity about what could have been. My focus has always been on what I can do and always look at the brighter side of life. So, that ton has been fulfilling in many ways.

Question: You were asked to open on the tour of Sri Lanka where you got back-to-back ducks. Even the most optimistic people would have negative thoughts in those situations. There is so much competition in the Indian side for every place. In that sense, the innings in Hyderabad was a make-or-break kind of knock for you?

Samson: Yes, as I just admitted that there is always pressure and you would think about what happened in Sri Lanka and what would happen in the future. It is very normal and a human tendency. However, now I have got some experience and I interact with people who have faced such situations in life. I try to learn from them how to handle pressure and expectations. There are always two kinds of thoughts that come to you in such situations. The first is that you didn’t do as well as you wanted to and the second thought is that try to control the controllables. What is in your hand, try to focus on that. I tried to focus on my preparation and trusted my ability to deliver.

Question: I saw you spending some quality time with your captain Suryakumar Yadav on the eve of the Delhi game at the nets. What kind of rapport do you have with Surya and what was the discussion in Delhi as both of you looked very relaxed and in a jovial mood?

Samson: I don’t know how many people are aware of this but me and Surya go a long way since we have played a lot of junior cricket together. In fact, both of us also play for BPCL and we have spent a lot of time together discussing cricket. So, there is already a connection and friendship and I know his game and he knows my game. I have seen how Surya has become such a phenomenal player today because I have seen his struggle and hard work. I have an enormous amount of respect for what he has achieved as a batter and now this has increased more because he is also leading the country which is a big deal. In Delhi, I was just trying to pick up his brain about how he has become so consistent and dominant in this format. What are the good things he has been doing. He is such a transparent character that he shared lots of things with me.

Question: Fittingly, he was there to hug you when you got your century. It seemed he was happier than you!

Samson: Indeed. That was a very special partnership with him. I enjoyed batting with him and I was touched by the way he celebrated my hundred. That is the quality of a leader. He was genuinely very happy for me and I felt that this guy wants his players to be successful.

Question: Is Test cricket the new goal for you because every cricketer’s dream is to play red-ball cricket for India?

Samson: Of course, the greatest enjoyment for a cricketer comes in Test cricket only. It is a demanding format and takes a lot out of you but Test cricket shows the quality of a player over five days. Mental toughness as well as physical fitness is tested in this format. I have been playing Ranji trophy for my state with the same intensity. Since childhood, it has been my dream to play Test cricket for India but I never speak much about this ambition. I keep it to myself but I have always wanted to play Test cricket for India. Let’s see what happens in the future.