Sanju Samson fights emotions in interview right after century vs South Africa: ‘Waited 10 long years for this’
Sanju Samson is possibly in the form of his life, as for the very first time in his career, the right-handed batter has registered back-to-back centuries in any format of the game. Having previously scored 111 runs against Bangladesh, Sanju Samson backed this performance up with yet another ton in the first T20I of the four-match series against South Africa on Friday at Kingsmead, Durban. Hence, it is no surprise that Sanju Samson was visibly emotional after finally showing the world, what he can truly do, when in full flow.
Speaking at the mid-innings, Sanju Samson spoke candidly, and the emotions were there for everyone to see, when he was asked whether he feels “he is in the form of his life?”
Replying to this question, the 29-year-old said, “If I think a lot I will get a bit emotional. This thing was not easy for me as I waited for this moment for 10 years, I’m very happy, grateful and blessed. But I would like to keep my feet on the ground, be in the moment and enjoy. Very happy doing it.”
Samson eventually played a knock of 107 runs off just 50 balls against South Africa. His knock was studded with seven fours and 10 sixes.
‘Was in a zone’
Sanju Samson also said that he felt like he was in a zone, and he just it flew, without overcomplicating it. “I was in a zone, honestly if I speak, it was automatically happening, so I just wanted to let it flow,” said Sanju, who captains Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
“The wicket does play a big role here, it has some extra bounce on it and coming from India we do take time to understand the wicket. There’s a huge wind blowing from one end and their bowlers bowled very well,” he added.
When asked what the word intent means to him, “It’s a good question actually, it is about having positive mindset. If the ball is there to be hit, go for it. I focus on one ball at a time throughout the innings and that helps.”
Sanju Samson has always had a stop-start international career, and he has not been given chances on a consistent basis. However, after the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from T20Is, Samson has gotten chances to play the shortest format for India. However, it is important to mention that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill have been rested for the busy Test season, and once they come back, it needs to be seen whether Samson manages to hold his spot or not.
Talking about the first T20I between India and South Africa, the latter won the toss and opted to bowl first. Owing to Sanju Samson’s knock of 107, the visitors posted 202/8 in the allotted twenty overs.
Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakravarthy then took three wickets each to help India bundle out South Africa for 141. As a result of this 61-run win, India have gained a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
The second T20I between these two teams will now be played on Sunday, November 10.
