“I have been trying to do something like this” – Centurion Sanju Samson reacts to his five consecutive 6s off Rishad Hossain in IND vs BAN 3rd T20I
Sanju Samson expressed his delight after scoring a century in the third and final T20I against Bangladesh at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday, October 12. The wicketkeeper-batter batter said he has learned to deal with the pressure following his failures in the past, which helped him finally deliver in the third game.
This comes after he failed to convert good starts into big scores in the first two games by scoring 29 (19) and 10 (7), respectively. In the post-match show, Samson opened up on his innings and five consecutive sixes off Rishad Hossain in the 10th over of India’s innings. The 29-year-old said (via Cricbuzz):
“[On his victory punch] It has a long story. I have been trying to do something like this [five sixes in an over], I was chasing that and it happened today.”
He continued:
“It can get frustrating knowing what you can do out there and the way I have been batting, I thought that could have done much better. Those thoughts keep coming in your head. With lot of experience and so many games I have played, I know how to deal with the pressure and failures."
"I have failed a lot, so I know how to manage my mind accordingly. I keep telling myself I just need focus on the process, keep doing my training, keep believing in myself and one day it'll come soon. I kept reminding myself I just need to keep it as basic as possible, focus on one ball at a time, keep playing my shots,” Samson added.
Sanju Samson smashed 111 runs off 47 balls, a knock laced with eight sixes and 11 boundaries. He became the second-fastest Indian to score a century in T20Is (40 balls), only behind former skipper Rohit Sharma (35 deliveries).
During his knock, Samson also shared a 173-run partnership with captain Suryakumar Yadav (75 off 35). He was adjudged Man of the Match for his maiden ton in the format.
With his century, Samson finished as the leading run-getter in the T20I series with 150 runs in three innings.
“After scoring two ducks, thinking, ‘Kya hoga bhai’” - Sanju Samson thanks Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav for his turnaround in T20Is
Sanju Samson further expressed his gratitude to the team management led by head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Suryakumar Yadav for showing faith in him. He played in the Bangladesh series despite two back-to-back ducks in Sri Lanka T20Is. The Kerala batter said:
“The dressing room and the leadership group which we have, they keep telling me, 'I know what type of talent you have and we back you no matter what,' Not in words, in actions also they've shown me.
"In the last series I got two ducks and went back to Kerala thinking, 'kya hoga bhai,' [What will happen?] but they backed me in this series and I am very happy that I gave something to smile for my captain and coach.”
Sanju Samson will next be seen in action for the Men in Blue in the four-match T20I series in Sri Lanka, which starts on November 8.