Sanju Samson 2024. Rohit Sharma 2013: Has Suryakumar Yadav done an MS Dhoni?

South Africa vs India: With role clarity and renewed confidence, Sanju Samson seems to be making the most of his chances in T20Is. On Friday, he became the first Indian batter to hit hundreds in back-to-back T20 internationals.

In Short

• Sanju Samson hit hundreds in back-to-back T20 internationals
• Samson has had role clarity under Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy
• Rohit Sharma's ODI career blossomed after he was promoted to open in 2013

Sanju Samson’s career is beginning to mirror the early days of Rohit Sharma’s in many ways. Like Rohit, Samson was hailed as a generational talent, but inconsistency and a lack of clarity over his role in the team have long hindered his international journey. However, just as MS Dhoni’s intervention in 2013 transformed Rohit’s career, there are signs that a similar shift may be occurring for Samson in 2024.

Sanju Samson’s maiden T20I hundred arrived after nine long years since his debut. However, just 27 days later, he struck another, leading India to a dominant 61-run win over South Africa in the first T20I of their series at Kingsmead, Durban on Friday.

This back-to-back show of fireworks made Samson the first Indian batter to score consecutive T20I centuries. It was a knock that would have thrilled the many who have backed the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter since his debut in 2015, despite his often frustrating inconsistency.

It was an innings of absolute authority. Samson never doubted himself — in the third over of the contest, Samson walked down the pitch and tried to hit Keshav Maharaj into the stands. Seeing Samson’s trigger movement, the wily left-arm spinner dropped it short and tried to take the ball away from the hitting arc. As the ball looped in the air, it looked like Samson would get beaten and pay the price for a bit too much premeditation.

SA vs IND, 1st T20I: Full Scorecard

However, Samson reached the delivery and smashed it into the into the stands, over the cover region, telling the world that he wasn’t going to miss anything, anymore.

From that moment on, it was a display of sublime batting as Samson tore into both pacers and spinners, finishing with a blistering 50-ball 107. That shot against Maharaj spoke volumes about the renewed confidence he now has in his game.

A RICKETY RIDE

Yet, Samson’s path to this point has been far from smooth. Coming from Kerala — a state not traditionally known for producing international cricketers — Samson was fast-tracked into India’s senior squad. At just 21, after impressing in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals, he made his T20I debut. But despite his early promise, consistency eluded him for years.

After his debut, it would take Samson five long years before he was given another chance. Even when he did get the opportunities, they were few and far between. In 2020, despite solid IPL form, he struggled in his six T20I appearances, failing to cross 20 runs in five of them. His international career seemed to be heading nowhere, as he flitted in and out of the team with little consistency.

In 2021, Samson played three T20Is and scored just 34 runs. In 2022, his returns were marginally better — 179 runs in six matches — and in 2023, he managed only 78 runs in eight outings. Despite a stellar 531-run IPL season, his inclusion in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad did not translate into game time; he remained on the bench throughout.

Even after the World Cup, the revolving door continued. Samson was recalled for the Ireland series, where he made a half-century, but failed twice in Sri Lanka with two ducks to his name.

“There have been more failures than successes in my life,” Samson said candidly in Durban.

“When you go through that, you start doubting yourself. Social media plays its role, but you also think, ‘Am I made for international cricket? Why can’t I perform despite doing well in the IPL?’"

A LIFELINE FROM SURYA-GAMBHIR

But just as it seemed Samson’s international career might stall once more, an opportunity arose.

Ahead of the Bangladesh series, Samson was given clear communication that he would open the batting for three consecutive matches — a luxury of role clarity that had eluded him for much of his career. Samson had revealed he was told he would open the batting three weeks prior to the start of the series and that it allowed him to prepare for the role at the Rajasthan Royals academy.

It’s this clarity of role that has perhaps unlocked a more consistent side of Samson. The Bangladesh series marked only the second time in his career that he batted in the same position for an entire series.

Samson: UP AND DOWN

- As opener: 9 matches
- As No. 3: 3 matches
- As No. 4: 11 matches
- As No. 5: 5 matches
- As No. 6: 1 match
- As No. 7: 1 match

"The communication you get during failures is key," Samson said.

"Gautam bhai and Surya gave me a lot of guidance. They’d say, ‘You need to work on playing spin better. Find spinners from Kerala and practice on rough wickets.’ When the Indian captain tells you what to work on, it gives you confidence that they want you to do well. All these small things add up."

LIKE ROHIT, LIKE SAMSON?

Interestingly, Samson’s resurgence has some parallels to the career of Rohit Sharma.

Rohit, like Samson, was once seen as a generational talent. After breaking onto the scene during India’s 2007 T20 World Cup victory, Rohit struggled to make his mark in ODIs. Between 2008 and 2013, he batted at seven different positions in the 50-over format, never quite finding his rhythm. It was only before the 2013 Champions Trophy that MS Dhoni made the crucial decision to move Rohit to the top of the order, a decision that would transform his career. Since then, Rohit has gone on to become one of the greatest ODI batters of all time.

For Samson, the turning point might well be this new-found clarity and support. If MS Dhoni’s role in Rohit’s success was instrumental, then the backing of the current leadership group — particularly Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav — could prove just as crucial for Samson.

While it’s too early to predict whether he will reach the same heights as Rohit, Samson seems to have found much-deserved support that could help him avoid unnecessary self-doubt.

As former India cricketer Robin Uthappa aptly noted on Friday: “Nothing is permanent in Indian cricket. Rohit scored a hundred in South Africa in ODIs and didn’t play another ODI after that. Things change quickly. Samson has had his fair share of setbacks — being chopped and changed, lacking clarity on his role. But right now, all of that is in place. He needs to make the most of it.”

And if anyone understands that, it’s Sanju Samson himself.