When Sanju Samson turned doubting Thomases into believers again

Sanju Samson is a believer who does not shy from professing his faith. But his fans are agnostics, and this writer is one of them. Often, those who choose to follow him wonder whether they made the right choice, because with him there are no half measures.

Yet now and then, as we fans give up and prepare to retrace our steps, he produces something special. Tonight he gave the most special of his performances, yet, in India colours, one worthy of reassuring us, doubting Thomases.

An unbeaten 97 off 50 against a formidable West Indies side that lifted India from the cusp of capitulation at the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup has to be counted as his finest yet. Such was the occasion that one might wish the Windies had posted a little more than 195/4 because there were four balls left and Sanju had deserved a hundred.

Yet this double-digit score would weigh heavier than his four international centuries, because had he made the ton and not got India over the line, none of it would have mattered. The measured innings, so full of panache, would have drowned in a vicious postmortem.

But there was a certain aura in Sanju tonight that had been missing in months, at least a dozen international innings, in which he had struggled to convert good, promising starts into something memorable.

From the first full over that he faced, against Akeal Hosein, Sanju was in control of his shots. A four cut through point, a six over square, and another over midwicket, followed by a single punched down the ground.

For a batter who had not scored in excess of 24 runs in an innings across two World Cups, he could have batted cautiously in his 40s, yet he slapped one off Motie behind point to reach his first fifty of the tournament.

Dinesh Karthik rightly observed how Sanju casually took a single after scoring a memorable fifty. There was a celebration, but it was subtle. Thanks to the heavens and back to work. It was the mark of a batter on a mission.

The Windies kept striking in between, and Shamar Joseph removed skipper Suryakumar Yadav in his second ball. That was the end of a 58-run partnership, and India had only just crossed the halfway stage of the chase (99/3 in 10.2 overs). Tilak Varma took the onus of keeping the run rate in control (just under 11), while Sanju maintained his poise.

Jason Holder struck a blow to get Varma (27), but a ball later, Sanju picked a length ball and whipped it through point for a boundary. If the Windies thought they were back in the game, Sanju reminded them, he wasn't backing out. He didn't, till the end.

“I have always had a very special journey, with lots of ups and downs,” Sanju said post-match. “I kept on doubting myself; kept on thinking what if, what if? Can I make it, can I make it? But I kept on believing, and thanks to the lord almighty," said the man from Keralam.