From persona non grata to being toast of the town: Sanju Samson stuns all and sundry in epic T20 World Cup comeback

He was never the first choice. He was brought back into the playing XI only after the crushing defeat at the hands of South Africa.

Always remember that Sanju Samson, right now the toast of the town, wasn't exactly part of Gautam Gambhir's original plans. Shubman Gill, now out of favour, was the preferred choice.

And just like that, Sanju Samson has proved everyone wrong. (AFP)

In October-November 2024, in a matter of weeks, Samson had scored three T20 international tons against visitors Bangladesh and hosts South Africa. He looked like an automatic Rohit Sharma replacement who had retired after the 2024 T20 World Cup win.

But after one bad series against England early next year, he lost his opening slot in the Playing XI, and Indian cricket fans were shocked when, in the Asia Cup later in the year, Gill batted as an opener, and Samson was pushed down to No.5.

When Gill failed to impress and was eventually dropped from the T20I side, Samson returned to the opening slot but appeared to have lost steam. Which can happen to some players. When they are not trusted enough, they lose their spark.

And in the T20 World Cup, he lost his spot to Ishan Kishan. He wasn't even part of the playing XI anymore. Only after South Africa thrashed India in the Super 8s, and in light of Abhishek Sharma being terribly out of form, he was brought back into the side to open, and the rest is history.

It's easy to forget one's ordeals when one has overcome them. But facts are facts. He didn't have enough backing. Even renowned Indian Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor had to come out and speak in support of Samson a couple of times.

So nobody should be given the credit for Samson's extraordinary performances. He should be credited alone. In the three matches (virtual quarterfinal against the West Indies, semis against England and final against New Zealand), he came up with scores of 97*, 89 and 82 and was rightly chosen Player of the Tournament. Out of 9 matches, he played only in five, and his last three innings were so good that they made him the best player of the tournament.

Great character on display all through!

Take a bow, Samson! Thank you for those extraordinary performances. For being stoic in the face of adversity, when you didn't have much support from the team management. For not losing heart. For being a great champion. Thank you for being unselfish.

In his last three innings… he could have scored a century in all of them. But he was playing for the team. He was focused on taking the team over the line or taking the team to a big total.

Thank you for being forgiving and not being bitter, for gracefully saying how you had learnt the batting craft from Rohit and Virat Kohli. Thank you for bringing to the table in the T20 World Cup all the lessons you had learned from them.

Celebrate for now, but don't forget the unfair treatment you have been given. It should drive you to achieve more and more glory for the team.