Sanju Samson Post-Match Interview
Reporter: All the hard work from Trivandrum, carrying your kit, has been rewarded through these two knocks. Also, the last match knock had a huge impact on this knock.
Sanju Samson: Yes, sir, hi. How are you doing? It feels really great or relieved that I have been, for a few years, trying to do something like this for my country. Just waiting with a lot of patience, a lot of inner work, a lot of training, and a lot of practice. Definitely, I should be very grateful, but I kind of feel that we have one more step to go. If we do that, then all the work will be worth it. Last innings definitely played a good role in this innings as well.
Reporter: Sanju, the last nine months were really difficult for you. You were moved down the batting order, and then you came up again in the New Zealand series. There was pressure on you, and the runs didn't come. Initially, for the World Cup, you didn't make it to the playing level. Finally, you did get your chance. During that difficult time, how did you stay motivated, because chances don't come easy in Indian cricket?
Sanju Samson: Yes, that was very challenging for me. I definitely wanted to come and do what I'm trying to do now for the country—contribute and win games in the World Cup. But I think I was trying a bit too much in the New Zealand series. I wanted to make an impact and get into the 11 of the World Cup here. But this format can get very funny; even the best in the world struggle to score runs in this format. So, I had to respect the game, come back to my basics, and work more on my basics. A lot of work did go really well.
Reporter: Sanju, congrats. You spoke about insecurities and self-doubt creeping in Kolkata. What was the difference in terms of your approach, because there you were chasing the target, while here a lot of variables like the dew factor were coming in? How did you approach that, and what does it mean to be playing in a T20 World Cup final after missing out last time?
Sanju Samson: It means one of the best moments in my life is happening, so I'm very grateful for that. I've been playing this format for a very long time—around 300 or 400 T20s. I’ve played from number one to six and captained a franchise, so I have the experience of knowing what a team demands at the moment and what my exact role is in this 11. That clarity definitely helps you score runs the way you want to. The last match was all about taking the team along. As soon as we built momentum, wickets were falling, so I had to finish it out till the last ball. But this game was completely different. When you are batting first in Wankhede, you know that no score is enough here. So, after I got a start, I just wanted to capitalize on as many sixes or fours as I could possibly hit for the team.
Reporter: Sanju, 499 runs were scored today, but the win margin was only seven runs. When you were keeping after your batting, how were you reading the game, especially when Jacob Bethell was hitting? Where did you think the game could slip, and can you sum up the conditions?
Sanju Samson: T20 cricket is going somewhere else; I don’t even know. We got three wickets in the powerplay, and I thought the game was in our hands. But the way Bethell batted and the partnership they had, I felt it was still possible. They needed 13 runs per over and were getting two boundaries every over. But the way our bowlers came back—the quality we have in Arshdeep [Singh], Hardik [Pandya], and [Jasprit] Bumrah, who is a once-in-a-generation bowler—was incredible. The way he bowled those six yorkers in a row gave us confidence. But you have to give credit to the England batters for how they studied the conditions. It was a great game.
Reporter: Sanju, when you were dropped today, what did you think? Did you think a 100 was around the corner now that you had a life?
Sanju Samson: Yes, ma'am. I’ve been very unlucky, but luck also works sometimes. I was very fortunate that one came my way. I don’t think much about catches; it was a ball meant to be hit, and I hit it. The catch was dropped, and I thought I'd hit the next one even harder. You keep it simple and don't think about many things. Your mind is always on how to attack the bowlers and how to calculate.
Reporter: Sanju, well played. What can you say about the pitch? Almost 500 runs were scored. How was it in the first innings and throughout?
Sanju Samson: It was almost similar. We knew in the dressing room that dew might come in the second innings. Whether it came or not, the wicket looked very good even before the toss, with a covering of grass. It was a very true wicket. After the first over, Abhishek and I were talking about how great the wicket felt. Abhishek said after the powerplay that we should aim for at least 250. It was a high-scoring game, and both teams played really well.
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