Sanju Samson switches off phone, social media to overcome lean patch

Dubai: Sanju Samson, India’s standout performer against West Indies, revealed that stepping away from his phone and social media for some “soul-searching” played a key role in rediscovering his form. India secured a five-wicket victory over the Caribbean side at Eden Gardens, powered by Samson’s magnificent unbeaten 97.

“Our human nature is that we often start from a negative thought like, ‘Can I do it? I don’t think I can.’ When I have that thought, I try to alter it with a very positive one. When I had a series like New Zealand where I wanted to perform and be part of the World Cup team, things did not work out well, but luckily I got a 10-day gap. I did not play any games and was not in the side. I kept thinking, ‘Sanju, what else? Why didn’t it work? What else should I do?’ So I did some soul-searching. I worked on my base, how I set myself up, and came back to it,” Samson said.

Heading into the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Samson had struggled for runs. During the five-match T20I series against New Zealand national cricket team at home, he managed just 46 runs in five innings and was later left out of India’s playing XI for the T20 World Cup clash against the USA. He also missed matches against Pakistan, the Netherlands, and South Africa. Returning to the side for the game against Zimbabwe, he scored a brisk 24 off 15 balls before delivering his match-winning 97 against the West Indies.

Samson explained that disconnecting from external noise helped him refocus. “A lot of people had suggestions and I saw a lot of valid points, but at the same time I felt, ‘Sanju, you have scored three international hundreds with the same setup.’ Shot selection was something I kept working on. I did not want to change too much because I knew I had performed with the same setup, so I kept believing in myself, switched off my phone, switched off social media and listened to my own self. I am very happy it happened in a very special game,” he added.

Reflecting on his innings in Kolkata, Samson described it as a dream realised. “More than a hundred cricketers in India dream about a day like this. I dared to dream. A young guy from Trivandrum, Kerala, dreaming about playing for the country and winning a game in such a crucial match. I dared to dream and it happened,” he said.