Sanju Samson: Here's to the champion who delivered the Cup of joy to India

The crowd at the mammoth Narendra Modi Stadium finally had something worthwhile to cheer after the national side retained the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup, defeating New Zealand by a margin of 96 runs. After the heartbreak of the loss against Australia in the final of the ICC ODI World Cup in November 2023 and the despondency brought by the trouncing at the hands of South Africa in the super eight stage of this championship, there was an urgent need for this ground to redeem its reputation. This was done in style with the home team's resounding victory over the Kiwis in an action-packed final game that produced more than 400 runs in 40 overs.

The hero for India was none other than Sanju Samson, whose innings of 89 each in the semifinal and final that followed his unbeaten 97 in the crucial last match at the Super 8 stage clearly established him as the top batsman in the world in T20 cricket. Sanju’s talent was never in doubt, and the long years he spent playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) had sharpened his skills in this format.

However, the presence of superstars on the side till 2024 and the selectors' and team management's reluctance to look beyond Rishabh Pant for the big gloves behind the stumps kept Sanju on the sidelines till late. But Sanju made the most of these years, learning from every setback, even as he made the required adjustments in technique and approach, which helped to effect a successful transition from the middle order to the top.

For Sanju, it was a remarkable comeback after the string of poor scores in the series against New Zealand that preceded this championship and led to his omission from the playing eleven in the group matches. The game against West Indies, where he stayed till the end and piloted the side to a victory that clinched for India a place in the last four stage, was the defining moment of his career, and he did not look back after this.

He attained a peak that has never been reached by any cricketer before in the history of the game, winning the Player of the Tournament and Player of the Match in two consecutive games before the final in a World Cup. It appeared as if the Gods had decided to shower Sanju with all the blessings that they had kept in abeyance during the years when he was languishing on the fringes of the national squad.

Two shots from Sanju stood out amongst the array of glorious strokes that he played en route to his score of 89 in the finals. The first was the sixer he struck off Matt Henry in the first over of the Indian innings. After his skipper had won the toss and elected to bowl, Henry started off by bowling four dot balls. Just when it appeared that the bowler might begin the finals with a maiden, Sanju decided to swing into action. The fifth ball was pitched a trifle short, but Sanju was in such superb touch that he saw the ball early and rocked back on to the back foot to loft the ball and deposit it over the long on fence for a sixer! Any other batsman would have been content to play out the over after seeing the control that Henry had over his line and the pace he was generating. But not Sanju, who chose to fully capitalise on the small opening he saw to show the bowler who was the Boss.

The next amazing shot happened in the first over of Peter Neesham, who was the only Kiwi bowler to create an impression on the Indian batsmen in this match. The second ball that Neesham sent down was pitched in the ‘corridor of uncertainty’ outside the off stump and a trifle full in length, but not overpitched. The bowler might have banked on the batsman taking a huge heave or attempting an outlandish drive, which could take the edge of the bat and result in a possible catch. But Sanju waited a fraction of a second and cleverly opened the face of his bat, just that little bit, for the ball to kiss the middle of the willow and race to the third man fence. Only a batsman who is supremely confident of his abilities and can assess the pace and bounce of the wicket to perfection can even attempt such a stroke, let alone pull it off successfully.

The importance of Sanju’s innings could be gauged by the mini-collapse that followed in the wake of his dismissal. From a position of 203 runs for the loss of one wicket, when five overs remained, India were forced to apply the brakes and crawl to 231 when the final over began. It was only the fireworks of Shivam Dube, who struck 24 runs in the last over, that helped India to cross the 250 mark. Both Abhishek Varma and Ishan Kishan, who struck stroke-filled half-centuries, have much to thank Sanju, but for whose brilliance, run-making would not have been so easy for them.

Sanju will be the first to admit that winning the World Cup is more significant than being named Player of the Tournament. Here, one should praise the skipper Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) for the excellent manner in which he marshalled the resources under his charge and led the side to the title triumph. Winning a championship at home is not an easy task, especially in India, where the team carries the hopes of millions of followers on their shoulders. SKY was instrumental in guiding the side out of difficult situations in the early stages of the tournament, and he kept the spirits high even after the big defeat at the hands of South Africa. Most importantly, his smiling visage and easy bearing inspired calm and confidence amongst fans.

Like in the 2024 edition of this championship, Jasprit Burmah was the chief architect behind India’s success this time too. Sanju had specifically pointed out Bumrah’s role in the win against England in the semifinals, where his tight over tipped the scales in India’s favour. Bumrah is, without doubt, the best fast bowler in the world in all versions of the game, and no batsman can claim to be comfortable while facing him. He was amongst the wickets in the finals and fully deserved the Player of the Match award. One should also not forget Hardik Pandya, the go-to person of the skipper, whether it is bowling or batting during the death overs, Shivam Dube, who came good whenever presented with an opportunity with both the bat and the ball and Axar Patel, whose all-round brilliance extended to plucking out unbelievable catches at crucial junctures.

Finally, a word about the Kiwis. They will rue their decision to bowl first after winning the toss on a featherbed of a wicket. Skipper Mitchell Santner was probably influenced by the victory against South Africa in the semifinal, where they batted second and won the game comfortably. The task of chasing a target exceeding 250 was clearly beyond them and the loss of early wickets pulled them down even further. The only occasion during the game when they had the hosts on the back foot was during the four overs following the dismissal of Sanju, when their superb ground fielding and brilliant catching saw them gain the upper hand. The only consolation for them would be the fact that they were beaten by a side that was clearly better than them in all departments of the game.

Congratulations to SKY and the side for their brilliant performance.

Hats off to Sanju Samson for bringing laurels to the country and his home state.