Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 31 (PTI) “Don’t worry Trivandrum, Sanju Samson is playing tonight,” India skipper Suryakumar Yadav announced at the toss ahead of the fifth T20I against New Zealand to the roaring
response from a sellout crowd here on Saturday.
It contained the adulation the home city carries for its biggest sporting icon, in fact the biggest in the modern sporting history of the state.
Kerala always had iconic names in Olympic sports — PT Usha (athletics), IM Vijayan (football), Jimmy George (volleyball) to name a few — but never in cricket.
S. Sreesanth came close but the outspoken cricketer divided the opinions sharply on and off the field.
Cricket needed a universally loved figure to take deep root in the Malayali consciousness, one who often straddles old-school values and modern brazenness.
Samson offered it. His aggression with the bat and stylish shot-making, though with a streak of inconsistency, was good enough for a new breed of sports fans to take him to the heart.
“Many times people expect Rahul Dravid-level consistency from Sanju. But that’s not the case. He is a shot-maker and there will be ups and downs. Look at Abhishek Sharma, he got two big knocks in this series but failed to get going in the other two.
“Match-winners are often like that. You can’t expect them to produce the consistency of a Dravid, and perhaps that’s their selling point, Perhaps, the crowd here understands that,” Biju George, the childhood coach of Samson, told PTI.
A look around the Thiruvananthapuram city and the way it has been decked up for Samson’s first international match offered validation to George’s words.
There were life-size cutouts, banners, flexes and individual congratulatory messages posted from Vizhinjam, where Samson grew up, to Karyavattom, where the Greenfield Stadium is located.
There was a large cut out, which his fans have erected at a cost of Rs 1.5 lakh for this match, placed alongside that of former India skipper MS Dhoni.
For the uninitiated, Samson will be playing for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026, and even the franchise took note of it in their official X handle.
Mohammad Hisham came all the way from Dubai to watch Samson batting in this match.
“I never watched him live on the ground. I took leave for a couple of days and flew down. I just want to see him on the field, walking to bat or field in India’s jersey,” said Hisham.
The entire economy of this fifth T20I too has been centred around Samson with vendors selling caps, T-shirts, jerseys with his name and face on them.
So, what fuels this Sanju-mania? “There is no clear answer to that. Perhaps, the sports lovers here want a global figure. Many other states have big cricketing names, and they need a few too.
“Or maybe, it’s Sanju’s character. He has achieved some nice feats on the field. And off it, he remains an approachable, non-controversial person, happy in his own space with his family. So, people from all parts of society just love that,” said George.
“Adichu thakarkeda innu” (Make runs today), screamed a section of fans as Samson walked onto the field of pre-game preparations. He just made six off six balls but still fans yanked out their mobile phones to capture him.
It was a candid reflection of their unstinted love and support for one of their own. PTI UNG UNG AH AH
