{"id":"f-73cd9b4b27-fda85478-cd5e-5a97-974f-b5d341463625","title":"How Sanju Samson dealt with lowest of lows to achieve ultimate high","description":"Sanju Samson finally delivered on his immense potential, smashing a match-winning 97 runs off 50 balls against West Indies in a do-or-die T20 World Cup Super Eight clash. This heroic knock, marked by mental fortitude and focused preparation, redeemed his inconsistent career and steered India into the semifinal.","timestamp":1772588400,"category":"sports","headline":"How Sanju Samson dealt with lowest of lows to achieve ultimate high","modifiedHeadline":"How Sanju rewrote his story after rock bottom!","subCategories":["scid_185ed133"],"subcategoriesName":["Cricket"],"region":"IN","bundleMetaData":{"bundleId":"6ff0e53c-03a9-4fac-a199-00040694f01a","bundleTitle":"Indian Cricket","cardData":null},"iabCategoryId":"491","fcSummary":"sanju samson finally delivered a career-defining performance, scoring 97 off 50 balls against the west indies, propelling india into the t20 world cup 2026 semifinal. after years of unrealized potential and inconsistent form, the innings marked a redemption for the cricketer, who shut out external pressure by disconnecting from social media. a crucial knock, it fulfilled a lifelong dream.","summary":"Sanju rose from career lows and setbacks to achieve cricketing glory, turning doubts and challenges into an inspiring story of triumph.","ctaUrl":"https://trends.glance.com/newz/Sports/IN/en/tv9-live/f-73cd9b4b27-fda85478-cd5e-5a97-974f-b5d341463625","sourceUrl":"https://www.news9live.com/sports/cricket-news/how-sanju-samson-dealt-with-lowest-of-lows-to-achieve-ultimate-high-2938060","bannerImage":"https://g-mob.glance-cdn.com/public/fc/image/ErNKmwjPJTu0.webp","content":"

New Delhi: Before the career-defining knock against the West Indies in Kolkata on Sunday, it wouldn't be unfair to say that Sanju Samson hadn't done justice to his talent and potential. Always regarded

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as a generational talent, Samson should have been India's match-winner long back, should have got more game time, should have played more decisive innings, and should have been more consistent.

But while he showed glimpses of his brilliance, Samson couldn't translate his potential into form.

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Until he finally did!

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Samson's Eden Gardens masterclass

Samson slammed a 50-ball 97, studded with 12 fours and four sixes, to steer India into the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal after orchestrating a symphony-like run chase of a steep 196-run target in the must-win Super Eight game against the power-packed Caribbean side at the Eden Gardens.

Brought back in the playing XI as an opener following India's humbling loss to South Africa in the Super Eight opener, Samson got out after getting a start against Zimbabwe, but took the responsibility like a mature batter to see his side home under immense pressure.

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Sanju started aggressively hitting Akeal Hossein for a boundary and two sixes in the second over, but shifted gears in the midst of the chaos and pressure triggered by the regular fall of wickets at the other end.

It's been a rollercoaster of a journey for Samson in international cricket.

From potential to performance: Sanju Samson's rollercoaster journey

Since his debut in 2015, Samson has played just 76 games (60 T20Is, 16 ODIs) for India, a reflection of his up-and-down career marred by inconsistent performances and selection heartbreaks. Under constant scrutiny due to his failure to translate his talent into consistent performances, Samson, one of the most talked-about cricketers of this generation, has divided opinions for a decade.

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But in a high-stakes virtual World Cup quarterfinal against an in-form side, Samson more than redeemed himself with an innings for the ages.

March 1, 2026, will be remembered as a day when the real Samson stood up and lived up to his potential.

After a horror outing against New Zealand in the tune-up series to the T20 World Cup, Samson seized the moment with a match-winning knock in the do-or-die clash.

Mindset matters: How Samson overcame pressure for T20 World Cup success

After helping the defending champions keep their title defence alive, Samson revealed he blocked all the outside noise by shutting down his phone and social media accounts to ensure that he did not lose self-belief.

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\"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,\" Samson told Star Sports in a post-match interaction.

The fact that Samson played a match-winning knock in a crunch game made the innings extra special.

\"I am very happy it happened in a very special game.\"

Samson, who fought a lone battle against the West Indies, found some support from skipper Suryakumar Yadav (18) and Tilak Varma (27) in the middle-order.

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A tweak in technique

After his underwhelming run in the run-up to the tournament, including the home series against New Zealand, Samson worked on his technique.

\"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,\" he said.

\"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.

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\"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',\" he added.

A humble Samson said that, and he is lucky to live a lifelong dream.

\"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.

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The Kerala batter would hope that the memorable knock is not a one-off and the dream continues for two more games.

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How Sanju Samson dealt with lowest of lows to achieve ultimate high

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