‘Play match-winnings innings’ was Sanju Samson’s mantra before every ball in preparation for South Africa series, says coach after maiden ODI century | Cricket News

Every time Sanju Samson took strike in the nets in Kerala in preparation for the South Africa series, he would mutter a phrase: “Play match-winning innings, play match-winning innings”.
After the 50-over World Cup snub, Sanju Samson was disappointed, something he even expressed through a social media post. “It is what it is !!” I choose to keep moving forward…” he posted.
While moving forward, he understood what was his undoing: the lack of big scores. So he got to work with his personal coach Bijumon N in his hometown Thiruvananthapuram and tried to refine his game.
Bijumon said Sanju quickly overcame that feeling of missing out on the World Cup. “He was not worrying about things that were not in his control. He only believed in the process that he was going through.”

A dream realised, a landmark breached!#SanjuSamson batted out of his skin to bring up his maiden ODI 💯 in a crucial series decider!How important in this knock in the greater scheme of things?
Tune-in to the 3rd #SAvIND ODI, LIVE NOW on Star Sports Network#Cricket pic.twitter.com/OjR5qN8aXZ
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 21, 2023
The hard yards put in the nets and the mental tweaks have now fetched him his maiden ODI century: 108 off 114 balls to bail out India against South Africa in the third ODI. It could not have come at a better time for Sanju, as his place in the team was again questioned after his failure in the previous game.
After pre-season preparations in Thiruvananthapuram, Bijumon tagged along with Sanju as the Kerala team had a camp in the state cricket association’s high-performance centre in Alappuzha. He travelled with him to Mumbai during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and to Bengaluru during the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well.
“We were specifically preparing for the South Africa tour in Bengaluru. We got a nice wicket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), where we could replicate the South African conditions,” said Bijumon.
“Sanju knew South Africa would be challenging. There would be lateral movement throughout and good bounce. The conditions would be different from what we get at the domestic level in India. So, there was that concerted effort to fine-tune certain aspects of his game to adapt to those conditions. Also, he was getting into this mental makeup to play longer innings that can take the team to wins,” said Bijumon.
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Sanju played a patient knock against Railways in a tricky chase after Kerala had lost early wickets. Even though his 128 off 139 balls did not end up in a victorious cause, he showed that he was willing to bide his time and construct an innings rather than go at high tempo from the beginning.

Even though Sanju had been used in the lower-middle order in ODIs previously, with so many senior players skipping the South Africa tour, he was likely to bat up in the order as well. “He was prepared for all scenarios. Batting at No.3 on South African pitches can be challenging, but at the same time, it is an opportunity to anchor the innings and take the team to a big score. He batted so calmly and was ready to play a few dot balls in the middle overs. In the end, he picked up the pace and helped India to a total, which looked unlikely at one point,” said Bijumon.
Bijumon knows despite the century, Sanju cannot afford to relax with the competition for places so intense in the Indian team. “This should be a springboard for more such knocks. I think Sanju has now turned a corner in his career, and the best years of his career are ahead of him.”