Shashi Tharoor needs no introduction. The former Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information at the United Nations, and the Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, is, by his own admission, an avid cricket fan. His commentary on Indian cricket often makes the news. In the last few years, he has been particularly known for endorsing Sanju Samson's cause when the India batsman was sidelined, often unfairly.
That was in the past. Samson is the toast of the town at present. His performance in the recently concluded T20 World Cup has brought him accolades from all over the world. His runs -- 97, 89 and 89 in the virtual quarterfinal, semifinal and final, respectively -- went a long way towards India winning back-to-back T20 World Cups. Man-of-the Tournament, Samson, is also from Kerala, which means Tharoor has a special affinity for him. In his article on mathrubhumi.com on Sunday, Tharoor paid tribute to India's man of the moment.
Tharoor writes: ”I still remember that first meeting vividly: a slender, somewhat short teenager with a disarming smile, a bat that seemed almost an extension of his arm, a sense of balance and timing that marked him out as special. Even then, there was something about Sanju -- an inward steadiness, a refusal to be rattled, a maturity beyond his years. It was clear he had the gifts to go far; what he needed was the ecosystem of encouragement and fairness that every young athlete deserves but not all receive."
{{/usCountry}}Tharoor writes: ”I still remember that first meeting vividly: a slender, somewhat short teenager with a disarming smile, a bat that seemed almost an extension of his arm, a sense of balance and timing that marked him out as special. Even then, there was something about Sanju -- an inward steadiness, a refusal to be rattled, a maturity beyond his years. It was clear he had the gifts to go far; what he needed was the ecosystem of encouragement and fairness that every young athlete deserves but not all receive."
{{/usCountry}}If truth be told, Samson was kind of sidelined in the months preceding the 2026 T20 World Cup. He was part of the T20I set-up, but the team management didn't appear to be behind him like it was behind Shubman Gill and Harshit Rana, which was unfair, make no mistake.
Even in the T20 World Cup, he wasn't the first choice for the Playing XI. If South Africa had not smashed India in the Super 8s and Abhishek Sharma had not been out of form, Samson getting a second game -- he had played one before against Namibia after Sharma was out due to a stomach bug -- wouldn’t have been possible. However, once he got the chance, he made it memorable for himself and for the fans of Indian cricket.
Tharoor recalls in his article: "I rather patronisingly told him that he would grow to become the next Dhoni (this was 2009, and there could be no greater compliment to a young lad), and he beamed. Years later, when I recalled that comment, I was rightly rebuked by my friend Gautam Gambhir, who said Sanju need not become the next anybody -- he would be the one and only Sanju Samson."
How Tharoor once helped Samson!
Tharoor also revealed that he had once come to Samson's aid, which shows that the eloquent politician also contributed to Samson's success in his own way. “As a high‑school student, Sanju found himself unable to meet the required classroom attendance to sit for his school‑leaving examinations.
"Cricket had taken him across the country; his performances were already drawing attention, but rules are rules, and he risked losing a crucial academic milestone. I intervened -- not to bend the system for a favourite, but to ensure the system recognised excellence in all its forms. His achievements on the field were no less legitimate than those in a classroom. The exception was granted, and Sanju cleared his exams," Tharoor writes.