Samson Credits Gambhir For Backing Him To Succeed In T20Is

Sanju Samson has praised India head coach Gautam Gambhir for giving him unwavering support in T20 internationals, saying the former captain told him he would only be dropped after 21 ducks.

With Gambhir taking charge after India’s T20 World Cup triumph and Suryakumar Yadav appointed captain, Samson was promoted to open the batting. He has since formed a strong partnership with left-hander Abhishek Sharma.

“After the T20 World Cup, Gautam bhai came in and Surya became captain. I was playing a Duleep Trophy game in Andhra, and Surya told me, ‘We have seven games lined up, and I will give you all seven as an opener’. Hearing that from the captain felt great,” Samson said in a video on Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube channel on Saturday.

Gambhir’s Unique Assurance

Samson revealed that after two low scores in Sri Lanka, Gambhir reassured him in the dressing room.

“I told him I failed to capitalise on the chance. He said, ‘So what? I will drop you if you get 21 ducks’. That kind of confidence from the captain and coach raised my confidence,” Samson said.

Since his T20I debut in 2015, Samson has played 42 matches, scoring 861 runs at an average of 25.32 and a strike rate of 152.38. He has three centuries and two fifties, with his maiden ton coming against Bangladesh last year, followed by two more hundreds against South Africa.

Looking Ahead to Asia Cup

Samson will be in contention for the Asia Cup squad in the UAE from 9–28 September. He admitted that being in and out of the team over the past nine years was frustrating, but credited Gambhir and Suryakumar for changing his outlook.

“I almost completed nine years of my international career but played only 15 games in that period. I tried to keep a positive mindset, telling myself everyone’s journey is different. Mine is a different journey,” he concluded.

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