Have learnt to cope with pressure, says Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson has learned to live with the inevitable “pressure and failures” in top-flight sport, and the Indian batter profusely thanked the leadership group for guiding him through dark phases of self-doubt, giving him another chance to prove his worth.

Samson finally managed to build a bridge between talent and productivity while smashing a sparkling maiden T20I hundred against Bangladesh here on Saturday, but the period preceding it was not really a pleasant one for him. Two successive ducks against Sri Lanka in July and two more tepid outings against Bangladesh over the past week here had left him creaking.

I think mentally you go through a lot as an Indian cricketer, especially in this format (T20). But I have learnt to cope with the pressure and the failures. Sanju Samson

“After a couple of ducks in Sri Lanka, I was a bit doubtful about getting a chance in the next series. But they (coaching staff and captain) backed me and kept on saying that we will back you no matter what,” said Samson.

Now, the 29-year-old accepts the fact that he cannot walk away from the pockets of pressure as an Indian cricketer. “I think mentally you go through a lot as an Indian cricketer, especially in this format (T20). But I have learnt to cope with the pressure and the failures. I think a lot of credit has to go to the dressing room, the leadership group, and the captain and the coach have been backing me,” he said.

Samson said head coach Gautam Gambhir had conveyed well in advance the decision to hand him the opener’s role during the Bangladesh series. “I think three weeks before this series, I was very fortunate to get a message from the leadership group — Gautam Bhai, Suryakumar (Yadav) and Abhishek Nair (assistant coach) — that I will be opening. I think that gave me proper preparation,” he said.

“I went back to Rajasthan Royals Academy and I was playing lots against new ball bowlers, and I think that preparation helped me a tiny bit. I think I was just coming in 10% more ready in this series than any other series,” he added.

Samson said the role clarity has also helped him to develop more awareness about his own game. “Basically, I have understood my game that I can bat anywhere from 1 to 6. I think I have power and I also have timing in my game. So, it is all about working according to which role I am playing in,” he said.

The Rajasthan Royals skipper said the Indian T20 side is looking to dominate every game. “We have committed as a batting group to go out and dominate each and every game we play in this format,” he said.