‘I received a lot of phone calls from Gautam bhai and Surya’ – Sanju Samson after Durban batting heroics

‘I received a lot of phone calls from Gautam bhai and Surya’ – Sanju Samson after Durban batting heroics (Source – Getty Images)

Following his brilliant century against South Africa in the first T20I in Durban, Sanju Samson explained how crucial phone calls from captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir became the turning point in his career. The wicketkeeper-batter’s explosive 107 off 50 balls in the opener not only helped India register a 61-run victory but also helped them take a lead in the three-match series.

Samson’s innings, laced with seven boundaries and 10 towering sixes, helped India post a first-inning total of 202/8, registering a new record for the highest individual score in T20Is between India and South Africa. The knock surpassed David Miller’s previous record of 106 not out in Guwahati in 2022. Speaking at the post-match conference after the first game of the T20I series, Samson opened up about the support he received during his challenging phases.

“When you have a supporting captain like Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam bhai and VVS Laxman sir, they all support you during failures,” Samson was quoted as saying in a press interaction as per Times of India (TOI).

Sanju Samson completes 7000 runs in T20 format

Besides, the 29-year-old particularly spoke about how personal phone calls from the head coach Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar helped him revamp his comeback. The management guided him on practice methods, including working on spin bowling on rough wickets in Kerala.

Also Read: Sanju Samson becomes joint 7th fastest India batter to complete 7000 T20 runs

“The way they communicate with you in your failures is very important. Everyone knows that if we are going through a negative phase, then the player can get lost there. So at that time, I received a lot of phone calls from Gautam bhai and Surya, telling me what to work on,” he added.

Additionally, Samson reached 7,000 T20 runs in just 269 innings, matching Robin Uthappa’s record and surpassing MS Dhoni, who took 305 innings to achieve the same milestone. This places him joint-seventh among the fastest Indians to reach this mark, with KL Rahul leading the list at 197 innings.