Sanju Samson’s wife, Charulatha Remesh, shared a heartwarming post for her husband after the star wicketkeeper-batter smashed a century to help India beat South Africa in the 1st T20I in Durban. Samson has now scored back-to-back centuries in his last two T20Is for India. After smashing a 47-ball 111 against Bangladesh in Hyderabad on October 12, he continued his red-hot form with another 50-ball 107 against the Proteas. Taking to Instagram, Charulatha reshared a post from Rajasthan Royals (RR) on her story for Samson, and captioned the post as “my forever favourite hero”.
After the match on Friday, Samson gave an insight into his aggressive approach while batting in T20Is. “I trust my shot-making ability and approach each ball with an attacking mindset, especially in T20Is. With this approach, there is success and failure as well – there are a lot of questions around me building the innings and consistency.”
“In T20Is, I never thought of consistency, if there is a ball to be hit, it’s necessary for me to capitalise on that. In the team, even our captain Surya (Suryakumar Yadav), Gautam Bhai (Gautam Gambhir), and Laxman sir (VVS Laxman) emphasize maximising runs in the first innings.”
“If I’m in the 90s, I aim to keep the momentum going rather than slowing down. My approach is to stay aggressive from the first ball to the last, adjusting only if the shot isn’t on.”
The last time Samson was in South Africa, he notched up his maiden ODI ton at Paarl last year. He then shared insights into his preparation for the four-match series, including making a switch from playing Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy matches. “Yes, there’s been some adjustment. With years of experience in India A tours and travelling with the Indian team, I understand South African conditions, where there’s more bounce. My preparation changes accordingly. I practice on different pitches with various balls to replicate conditions and scenarios.
“I believe this really gives you an advantage, and I felt that I didn’t take a lot of time to get set because of my preparation. My Ranji Trophy match ended on the 21st, and by the 23rd, I’d already started preparing for T20Is. It does make a difference. This has been a routine for the last 10-15 years. When you do well, everyone gets to know the effort that has been put into it. For us, moving from one match to another, whether it’s Ranji Trophy or an international game, has become second nature and a habit.”
“If you want to earn a spot in the Indian team and win games, it’s not easy; there’s a lot of hard work and mental effort behind it. I’m fortunate to showcase my talent on an international stage,” he said.
(With IANS Inputs)
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