Sanju Viswanath Samson is one of India’s brightest cricketing stars. When he takes the guard in the centre, the wicket-keeper batsman exudes class and sophistication. Samson is without a doubt the most full wicket-keeper batsman in the circuit, amid some difficult competition in the Indian side denying him the long run he deserves.
Sanju began his career by studying in Delhi, where his father worked as a police constable, but he soon relocated to Thiruvananthpuram and began making waves with his lightweight but unassuming style. His impressive technique and ability to time the ball first secured him a place in Kerala’s U-19 side, and his consistent performance in the Cooch Behar Trophy (India’s domestic U-19 championship) propelled him into India’s U-19 Asia Cup squad in 2012.
Records
In the IPL, he is the youngest batsman to score 1,000 runs.
In the IPL, he is the youngest batsman to score 2,000 runs.
The youngest captain of a Ranji team.
Awards
IPL 2013’s Best Young Player of the Season
List-fastest A’s double-hundred.
Career
Domestic Career
At the age of 17, Sanju Samson made his first-class debut for Kerala Ranji against Vidarbha on November 3, 2011. He made an instant impression, scoring two hundreds and a fifty in five games the following season.
Samson’s breakout season was the Ranji Trophy 2013-14, when he really showed up. The north-eastern side of Assam had put up a daunting total of 323 runs in the first inning of the first match. Sanju Samson, on the other hand, surpassed Assam’s inning by scoring a career-high 211 runs to send Kerala a critical 39-run lead. He made his first double century in the Ranji Trophy with 23 fours and five sixes.
With 377 runs off two matches at an average of 188.5, he was the top run scorer in the Ranji Trophy 2013-14 after the second round of matches. In all, he appeared in six matches (11 innings) and scored 530 runs at an average of 58.88, making him Kerala’s leading run scorer.
Samson’s best performance in the domestic circuit came in the 2019-20 season, when he smashed an undefeated double-century against Goa in the Vijay Hazare series. The Kerala wicket-keeper batsman smashed an unbeaten 212 off just 129 balls to set a new record for the highest individual score by a wicket-keeper batsman in List A cricket. Samson shattered Pakistan’s Abid Ali’s record of an undefeated 208 in the country’s domestic one-day competition in 2018.
IPL Career
Sanju Samson gained a lot of attention after an impressive Ranji Trophy debut season, but he was scalped by Kolkata Knight Riders. However, he was not given the opportunity to play for them, and in 2013, he moved to Rajasthan Royals, where he blossomed to his full potential.
Sanju was a crucial member of the Rajasthan Royals’ batting line-up for three years.
When Rahul Dravid was coaching the Royals in the IPL-7, he praised Samson and said that he is one of the new crop of players who will shine for India in the near future.
As a result, Sanju was retained by the Rajasthan Royals for the 2015 IPL season. The Rajasthan Royals did well in the league, making it to the knockout stages, but Sanju Samson failed to live up to his billing, scoring just once in the 15 games he played.
When RR was dropped from the IPL in 2016, Samson was acquired by the Delhi Daredevils, and he did not disappoint his new team, finishing 2017 as the Daredevils’ third top run scorer.
On April 11, 2017, Sanju scored his first T20 century in the IPL against Rising Pune Supergiant at Maharastra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. When Rajasthan returned to the IPL in January 2018, he was immediately purchased by the franchise in the IPL auction for Rs. 8 crores. Sanju Samson hit his second IPL century against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 29, 2019, hitting 102 not out off just 55 balls, including 10 fours and four sixes.
International Career
Sanju Samson continued to score big runs, and his consistent results in the IPL and Ranji Trophy secured him a spot on the 2015 Zimbabwe tour. In a T20 match, he made his first appearance for India. However, it was not a decent match for him, as he only managed to score 19 runs off 24 balls, and he has never represented India since.
In 2020, he was picked for the T20I series of India’s tour of New Zealand, and he played as an opener for the side. Despite his inability to make an impression with the bat, he had earned a spot on the roster after 4 years in the wilderness.
Family
Sanju Samson was born to Lily and Samson on November 11, 1994. His father worked for the Delhi Police Department as a constable. Samson is a devout Catholic who married Charulatha Remesh, a college classmate and lifetime mother, in Thiruvananthapuram on December 22, 2018.