Team India's opening batsman Sanju Samson played an explosive inning of 57 runs in 22 balls in the second T20 match against Afghanistan on Tuesday (September 15), which included 7 fours and 4 sixes. India won this match by 7 wickets and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. This innings of Sanju has come at a time when questions are being raised about his place in the opening slot of the team.
After the match, Sanju admitted that the constant criticism affects him but he has become so experienced that he has found a way to deal with it all. He told that it is important to remain clear about the mindset amidst the external noise. Sanju has also talked about the decisions of Vaibhav Suryavanshi and team management.
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Sanju's spilled pain
Sanju was the player of the tournament in the T20 World Cup 2026 but after failing in two matches on the Ireland tour, he started being criticized. After this, he could not even play in the first T20 match against England and then he was dropped from the playing XI. Sanju told that he wants to stay away from outside noise but sometimes he sees comments from senior players. He said, 'I try to keep Wi-Fi off but sometimes Wi-Fi turns on and comments appear. Some senior players say something and don't say anything.
Sanju said that now he has matured and can handle these things but he is also affected by external noise. He said, 'I am not a machine. I am not a robot. You are a little affected but then you talk to yourself and remind yourself who you are and what you have to do.
Sanju further said, 'If I had paid attention to those things, I would not have been able to bat like this. Before playing the shot, I would think ten times that if I get out then there will be problem of Wi-Fi. So instead, I tell myself it's okay.
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Sanju said this about Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Sanju is facing a strong challenge from young sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi for the opening slot. 15 year old Vaibhav Suryavanshi had scored 776 runs in IPL 2026 at a strike rate of 237.31. After this he was included in Team India. Vaibhav had replaced Sanju in the playing XI during the England tour.
On Vaibhav's entry, Sanju said, 'Running the Indian team is not an easy thing. You are seeing that a 15 year old boy has scored 700-800 runs. My player of the tournament was before that. After that he has performed so well. I did not perform well in two-three games. On the other hand he was continuously doing well. We wanted to win the game in that series. In such a situation, it is understandable to give a chance to Vaibhav from the leadership point of view. I have been a captain myself and have also taken such decisions.
It is not easy to take difficult decisions – Sanju
Praising the leadership group and especially head coach Gautam Gambhir, Sanju said, 'Communication is very important in all these things. There have been talks in the middle of this series and there have been a lot of talks even before this series. Even before this he had talked to me a lot.
He further said, 'Taking difficult decisions is not an easy thing. Taking simple decisions is a common thing but taking difficult decisions is a very difficult task for the leadership group, because they have to keep the team in mind.