‘Taking the blame on myself’: Sanju Samson responds to ‘runs not flowing’ question after Ranchi masterclass

Despite scoring two half-centuries in the recent series against Afghanistan, the pressure was firmly on Sanju Samson ahead of the 2nd T20I against the West Indies in Ranchi. The right-handed batter, who was the T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament, had four back-to-back low scores, failing to get going in the one-off T20I against Japan, the Asian Games and the series opener against the Windies. The chatter surrounding Samson’s place was always going to be there, considering how Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to warm the bench.

A large section of fans and experts believe that the 15-year-old should be opening the batting alongside Abhishek, as the duo could take the game away from the opposition in no time. In the Asian Games, all three played, with Samson coming in at No.3, while Vaibhav and Abhishek opened the batting. However, in the series against the West Indies, Sooryavanshi was dropped, and the combination was the same as in the Afghanistan series.

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With pressure firmly on him and the outside noise growing, Samson put on a masterclass in Ranchi, scoring a quickfire 82 off 41 balls with the help of 9 fours and 4 sixes. The right-hander was slow off the blocks and was also aided by the West Indies, as his catch was dropped by Kamil Pooran at cover when he was batting on just 6. However, he didn’t look back from there, hammering the opposition bowlers and taking a special liking to Akeal Hosein, smashing him for 3 fours and as many sixes inside the powerplay.

At the mid-innings, Samson was asked whether he did anything different in Ranchi compared to the last four T20Is, in which his scores read 9, 7, 2, and 11. “I did ask you, when runs are not flowing, what’s the response? You did respond with a fine innings. What was the point of difference in this innings as compared to your last four in this format?”

In response to the question, the 31-year-old kept it simple: one cannot think about playing for oneself, as professional sport requires everyone to put the team first. Moreover, he refused to hide behind excuses, blaming himself for not doing enough in the previous few matches.

“Nothing. I don’t think so. I think being a professional cricketer playing for India, I think you definitely take care of the professional side of it. You do your preparation, you do your practice, you do your training, you do everything possible in your hands. But to be very honest, I think we all know that in this format, the result is not in your hands; there is only one way to go. So you can’t say I’ve had bad three innings, so let’s take some time, let’s build my innings, and then we will see,” Samson told the broadcaster.

“No, there is only one way to go. I think the team is in front. My job is to give my country a great start, and I try to do that. I also take responsibility when I get out. So that’s totally fine, and I’m taking the blame on myself. I don’t blame anyone else for not scoring runs, actually. That’s my job, and I try to do it every time I step out to the ground,” he added.

For Samson, the mindset has been the same, and nothing has changed despite the underwhelming last few games. He kept it simple, looking to smash the ball for a four or six whenever it was in his hitting range, and the clarity of thought paid off with the experienced batter scoring 82 in the second T20I.

“I just try to look at the ball and have a very positive frame of mind. I think if the ball is in my area, I definitely go for it. So it doesn’t matter if it’s over cover or over long. So it depends on where the bowler is bowling. I don’t like to get a bit premeditated. I just like to be blunt, watch the ball and back my instincts,” said Samson.