Sanju Samson cheated, but not before India secured a place in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup.
It was an innings that had come out of nowhere. In the lead-up to what was a virtual quarterfinal, Samson wasn't the player the media was discussing as one of the Indian players to watch out for. However, against all expectations, Samson scored an unbeaten 50-ball 97 to take India to the knockouts.
It must have been an exhausting night because the very next day when the team reached Mumbai for their semifinal against England at the Wankhede Stadium to be played on March 5, Samson asked his manager to arrange a cheat meal for him. Months of strict diet mattered little after the euphoria of the win against the Caribbean team!
Suresh Pillai, a renowned chef, has now revealed on Instagram how he received a call from Ikhlas, Samson’s manager, on March 2. The day before, India had beaten West Indies at the Eden Gardens.
"Chetaa... the match against West Indies was brilliant. He's really happy. We're in Mumbai now. Three months of strict diet meals... tonight he wants a cheat meal. Can you arrange pazhankanji, fish, kappa and chammanthi?" Pillai wrote.
{{/usCountry}}"Chetaa... the match against West Indies was brilliant. He's really happy. We're in Mumbai now. Three months of strict diet meals... tonight he wants a cheat meal. Can you arrange pazhankanji, fish, kappa and chammanthi?" Pillai wrote.
{{/usCountry}}"Pazhankanji. In Mumbai. At 7 PM. I laughed. Pazhankanji may not happen... but kanji, kappa and fish done," Pillai replied over the phone.
The chef did his bit real quick. Hey presto! "I immediately called my friend Rassak Ikka, owner of Society Hotel, Mumbai. Within minutes, he packed kanji, kappa, fish curry, fried sardines, chammanthi and papad — and delivered it straight to St. Regis Mumbai," Pillai wrote.
There is a hidden message in the story!
It's an interesting story. It tells you how difficult the life of a sportsperson is. Imagine you go on living without eating your favourite food items, because you have to make that sacrifice in order to excel at your sport. Pillai also highlighted this point in his long post.
“What Sanju sacrifices for every tournament… most people never see. Phone switched off. Social media is gone. Months of quiet, relentless preparation. That’s the real story behind every moment that fills a Malayali’s chest with pride," he wrote.
Anyway, needless to say, the rest is history. Samson continued to wreak havoc on the bowlers in the next two games against England and New Zealand to help India to back-to-back T20 World Cup titles. Surely, the cheat meal deserves some credit too.