How Sanju Samson’s quiet fight stood out in India’s boisterous nets in Delhi
Captain Suryakumar Yadav’s warning was sharp and immediate. Anyone standing along the boundary ropes was ordered to face the pitch, not the stands. India’s first training session at the Arun Jaitley Stadium ahead of the Namibia clash was under way, and the ball was being struck with enough venom to make back-turning a safety hazard. Fielding coach T Dilip set the tone, timing his fungo hits perfectly as India began their drills under the floodlights.
The mood in the camp was characteristically buoyant. Having survived a scare against the USA in their opener, the squad seemed intent on keeping things light.
“Shot yaar, Dilip sir!” Hardik Pandya bellowed, his laughter echoing across the turf as he plucked high catches out of the night sky.
Yet, amidst the high-fives and the banter, a distinct contrast was brewing. While the group pivoted on collective joy, Sanju Samson seemed to be operating in a different time zone â one of intense, almost solitary focus.
It wasn’t just Dilip who was timing the ball well. As the fielding drills wound down, the top four padded up.
Ishan Kishan. Sanju Samson. Tilak Varma. Suryakumar Yadav.
Sanju Samson vs ISHAN: AUDIBLE CONTRAST
On Tuesday, Sanju Samson was batting alongside the man who replaced him in the XI â and the man he could yet partner on Thursday Ishan Kishan.
The contrast, though, was audible.
The sound of Kishan’s bat reverberated through the empty Kotla stands; he was middling everything, Pepperidge-cracking balls into the mid-wicket and long-on tiers. Samson, conversely, looked like a man searching for a rhythm that refused to be found. Against the pace of Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya, Samson was hesitant, lacking the characteristic flow that usually defines his game.
A mid-session switch to the spin nets brought some respite. Facing the guile of Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson looked more at home, finding his footwork. However, the overarching narrative remained: while the rest of the team played with the freedom of men secure in their spots, Samson batted with the weight of a man aware that his margin for error had vanished.
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate offered a candid assessment of the wicketkeeper’s predicament.
“At this level, honesty and transparency are vital. Sanju Samson has had full support,” he said.
“We tried him in the middle order, then he came back into contention. But when someone else comes in and performs as well as they have, selection becomes obvious.
“That said, there are several games still to win, and every squad member is crucial. Sanju Samson’s attitude has been excellent. He’s training well, and he’s a positive presence in the group.”
But positive presence rarely wins back a starting spot. Sanju Samson seemed to know this.
When his scheduled net time concluded, he didn’t head for the ice baths. Instead, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak took him aside for twenty minutes of specialised, high-intensity throwdowns along the boundary rope. Their constant, hushed discussions stood in stark relief to the boisterous celebrations happening elsewhere on the outfield. The session ended with a warm embrace and a firm punch on the back from Kotak-a silent exhortation to stay upbeat and wait for the gap to open.
Even then, Samson lingered. He stood alone in the middle of the ground for a long moment, silently watching the rest of the group train. In a stadium filled with noise and motion, he seemed to be soaking in the solitary vibes, a man apart from the very machinery he desperately wants to rejoin.
Will a change come on Thursday? It could. India would be reluctant to rush Abhishek back into the XI ahead of the bigger game against Pakistan on Sunday.
What appeared clear, though, was that the wicketkeeping duties will remain with Ishan. The SunRisers Hyderabad batter went through light keeping drills after his extended hitting session on Tuesday.
The Return of Sundar
Washington Sundar had his first full session since recovering from a rib muscle tear. He looked sharp, bowling a tidy spell before showcasing his power with several hits into the stands.
The Power Hitters
Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube turned the latter half of the session into a private home-run derby. Hardik was in the engine room, bowling a lengthy spell before launching monstrous sixes that sent Delhi officials scrambling into the stands to retrieve the balls. Not to be outdone, Dube was in manic hitting form; he tore into the spinners, taking a special liking to Kuldeep Yadav and clearing the ropes with ease.
Bumrah Back at Full Tilt
After missing the USA game through illness, Jasprit Bumrah bowled full steam. He is expected to replace Mohammed Siraj against Namibia to find his rhythm before the high-stakes Pakistan clash in Colombo.
The Finishers
inku Singh and Axar Patel focused on late-innings power-hitting, while even the tail, Arshdeep and Chakravarthy, worked on their cameos, reflecting the team’s demand for lower-order versatility.
