Sanju’s character drives his match-winning knocks

By K.R. Nayar 

Sanju Samson’s match-winning knocks emerge from his thinking and character. After his match-winning unbeaten knock of 87 in Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) eight-wicket win over Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, he revealed how much more important his team’s victory was than basking in the glitter of a personal century.

Having trailed his career and witnessed many of his knocks, one truth about Sanju shines unmistakably– he plays for the team, something larger than himself.  Those who watched his modest knock of 26 against Namibia on February 12, 2026, in the T20 World Cup in Delhi can get a peek into his character. He was coming back into the side after being discarded for a long time, and despite wanting to cement his place, he went for his shots. His role was to pile up as many runs as possible during the power-play. Critics were quick to dismiss him—“another wasted chance,”.  In the next match too, against Zimbabwe in Chennai, a mere 24 runs did little to silence them. Fortunately, Team India did not drop him, and the rest is history, with knocks of unbeaten 97, 89 and 89 helping him emerge as the player of the tournament.

A selfish batter would not have bothered about hitting out during the power-play but would have resisted playing risky shots. Very often, he has failed due to attempting those risky shots in his quest for runs. After bagging his third Player of the Match award in Delhi, he said, “Finishing not out and winning the game gives me more satisfaction.” The most important remark that reflected his character was when he said that he did not tell his partner, Kartik Sharma (41 n.o.), to give him a single so that he could get to his 100. He chose the team over himself.

One of Sanju’s big qualities is his calmness. During the T20 World Cup in the US and West Indies, every time I went to watch him practise, he trained as hard as he could without showing any disappointment at being just a passenger in the team and never being considered for the eleven. It is this inherent calmness that has earned him success and made him one of the prolific scorers in this IPL edition. This is an example of not allowing disappointment to cloud one’s discipline. 

After his knock in Delhi, he had to enlighten those who had not watched him closely about his calmness. “I am always like this (calm), but you are seeing me more in the middle now, so you feel I am calm; I am calm even outside.”

There are many cricketers who, when dropped and not considered in the eleven, turn aggressive. This actually mounts pressure on themselves due to their inability to remain calm when the odds are against them. Sanju has shown that if a batter has the skill, it is important to keep sharpening it and then wait for the chance rather than carry any grudge about being ignored. 

Questions have often been raised in the media whether Sanju was being ignored by the North Indian lobby. Surely, these questions would have reached Sanju too. But ignoring them and allowing his bat to do the talking is his greatest gift.

Sanju’s match-winning knocks in both Chennai and Delhi have enabled CSK to secure a “double” over DC this season. He silenced DC fans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, just as he did in other venues outside Chennai with his superb knocks. To be the architect of chants of “CSK! CSK!” even outside Chennai must be very pleasing. Sanju began cautiously in Delhi, scoring 15 from his first 17 balls before taking off. He had to remain calm when Ruturaj Gaikwad (6) and Urvil Patel (17) fell early, and then, along with the young prodigy Kartik Sharma, they demolished the DC attack.

This IPL season, he started with only 22 runs from his first three matches, but in the next seven matches, he piled up 380 runs. He has accumulated 402 runs in 10 matches, averaging 57.42 with a strike rate of 167.50. If he is able to guide CSK to the final, he may even walk away with the Orange Cap. Sanju’s journey reminds every young cricketer—and every dreamer—that setbacks are not dead ends. Patience is something every player should carry along with his kit bag. Stay calm when the world is not, especially in this high-voltage world of modern cricket. Sanju is proving that sometimes the quietest minds produce the loudest impact.