For Sanju Samson, India’s stylish opener, the solution during a difficult phase was to switch off the phone and step away from social media. On Sunday, in the high-stakes clash against West Indies in the Super 8 of the T20 World Cup, India were under tremendous pressure, chasing a target of 196 after losing three key wickets in quick succession. 

However, Sanju Samson rose to the occasion, playing a defining knock of 97 unbeaten to power India into the semi-finals. He produced a scintillating innings off 50 deliveries, an innings laced with 12 boundaries and four sixes. From the very first over, Samson’s intent was unmistakable, reading the situation carefully and timing the ball with confidence. More importantly, he anchored the chase, ensuring India never drifted away from the required rate. Though he sadly fell short of a century. 

"It was a bit difficult (chase). Looking at our batting power, I felt like 190-odd at Eden Gardens; when dew comes in, it gets a bit easier, but losing wickets at regular intervals made it challenging. To be honest, that's where my experience and my role played a big part," he said on Star Sports Match Centre Live.

"I got a good start, but normally after getting a good start, I want to just dominate and then finish the game in a couple of overs. When the wickets kept falling, I felt that, ok, I need to finish the game, and I need to take it till the last moment. Normally you feel like doing it, but it doesn't happen all the time, so I am very grateful it happened today," he said. 

Before this knock, Samson had endured a prolonged lean patch that invited scrutiny and criticism, but on Sunday he managed to silence his critics. Samson also reflected on his disappointing performances leading up to the World Cup, including the home series against New Zealand, and shared how a short break helped him rethink and refine his approach.

“Our human nature is that we often start from a negative thought like, ‘Can I do it? I don’t think I can.’ When I have that thought, I try to alter it with a very positive one. When I had a series like New Zealand, where I wanted to perform and be part of the World Cup team, things did not work out well, but luckily I got a 10-day gap. I did not play any games and was not in the side. I kept thinking, ‘Sanju, what else? Why didn’t it work? What else should I do?’ So I did some soul-searching. I worked on my base, how I set myself up and came back to it,” he said.

“A lot of people had suggestions and I saw a lot of valid points, but at the same time I felt, ‘Sanju, you have scored three international hundreds with the same setup.’ Shot selection was something I kept working on. I did not want to change too much because I knew I had performed with the same setup, so I kept believing in myself, switched off my phone, switched off social media and listened to my own self. I am very happy it happened in a very special game,” Sanju added.