"Will remove you only if you have scored 21 ducks" - Sanju Samson recalls Gautam Gambhir's inspiring words after consecutive ducks

Team India wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson recalls being motivated by head coach Gautam Gambhir after his twin failures upon his return to the T20I setup. The right-handed batter was one of the radical changes made to the squad following the transition to the side in the aftermath of the T20 World Cup triumph.

After a sluggish run in the middle-order over the years, and a place on the bench during Team India's victorious campaign in the Caribbean and the USA, Samson was handed a rare opportunity at the top of the order during the tour of Sri Lanka in July 2024.

However, he faltered in the second and third T20Is of the three-match series, recording consecutive ducks. He was dismissed for a golden duck by Maheesh Theekshana in his maiden outing in the series, which was followed by a four-ball duck, meaning that his first couple of opportunities ended without a single run.

Sanju Samson recalled being dejected in the dressing room following the culmination of the series, which is where head coach Gautam Gambhir stepped in to lend his assurance.

"Suddenly, the change happened after the T20 World Cup. Gautam bhai came in, Surya came in as captain. I was playing a Duleep Trophy game in Andhra. Surya was playing in the other team. That's where Surya told me, ' Chetta, there is a huge opportunity coming up for you. We have seven games lined up, and I am going to give you all seven games as an opener'. Hearing that from the captain's mouth itself, that felt great," Samson said in an interview with R Ashwin.

"Then I played two matches in Sri Lanka after that, I was out for ducks in both matches. The memories of being in and out of the team started flooding in, and I thought that was it. I was a bit down in the dressing room, and Gauti bhai saw it. he came up to me, and asked what happened, I told him I did not capitalise on the chance that I got. He was like, 'So? I will remove you from the team only if you have scored 21 ducks'," he added.

Samson continued to open the innings despite the consecutive ducks, holding onto the position for the ensuing home series against Bangladesh. The wicket-keeper made the most of the opportunity, scoring quick-fire cameos in the first two outings, before a statement 47-ball 111 in the series finale in Hyderabad.

He continued his rich vein of form during the tour of South Africa as well, scoring two hundreds in five matches as an opener in the 4-1 series win.

"Honestly, it was not easy, anna" - Sanju Samson on his limited international appearances despite being a seasoned player

Sanju Samson had to wait a long time on the sidelines to wait for a string of opportunities to stake his claim, and cement his place in the playing XI. Despite always being in the scheme of things, the wicket-keeper was never the first-choice candidate, and had to settle for sporadic appearances, which did not help his case to prove his consistency.

Sanju Samson admitted that it was difficult to accept his situation as he was feeling stuck due to a lack of consistent appearances in the national team.

"Being on and off the team was happening for a long time then. Honestly, it was not easy, anna. It was not easy to have those kind of feelings, I had already played 8-9 years of international cricket, and I had just played 15 games. I was there, and I was not there. I always tried to keep myself in a positive frame of mind. I kept assuring it would happen, and different people have different journeys," Samson said.

The wicket-keeper batter was also the first-choice opening batter in Team India's last T20I assignment against England at home. He certainly remains in contention for a spot in the build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup, and the mega event itself.