"Had a lot of self-validation, was very sure...": Sanju on battling Archer in T20WC semifinal against England

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson spoke on the self-belief and confidence he carried ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup semifinal against England, where he had to battle a troubling adversary, pacer Jofra Archer. The wicketkeeper-batter said that despite his past failures against Jofra, he had a lot of "self-validation" and was very sure that he was going to win the match for his country.

Ahead of the T20 WC semifinal against England, a massive Jofra Archer test awaited Sanju. With his morale and stocks rising high with an unbeaten 97* against West Indies in the quarterfinal, Sanju was going to come face-to-face with the English pace spearhead who had dismissed him thrice previously. On the other side at the non-strikers' end, Abhishek Sharma was not enjoying a productive run either. However, defying all odds, Samson demolished Archer, collecting 38 in 14 balls against him, with three fours and four sixes. Samson's 89 in 42 balls helped India reach 253/7, and England fell seven runs short of it, with a brutal counter-attacking ton from Jacob Bethell keeping the Three Lions in the hunt.

Speaking about his battle with Archer on JioStar, Sanju recalled how the top-order was not firing much leading up to the tournament, and he was being served reminders that Archer had troubled him previously. Despite all the odds, Sanju maintained an unflinching self-belief and confidence.

"When you score runs for the Indian team, you become more responsible, knowing you have to keep scoring. Ahead of the T20 World Cup semi-final against England, our top order was not firing much. A lot of people were coming and telling me, 'It's England, Archer is bowling, he got you out 3-4 times previously, this happened, that happened.' But I was confident. I didn't say anything out loud. If you talk too much, you come across as arrogant, and that goes against my belief," he said.

"So, I just gestured quietly, 'Yeah, we'll see.' But I had my plans ready. I knew that this Sanju Samson was not the Sanju Samson from a year ago. After that West Indies knock, I had a lot of self-validation, and I was very sure about myself. There was no room for doubt. I was going to do it for my country, and no one could stop it," he added.

Sanju Samson also shed light on his mindset during the title clash against New Zealand, where he kept reminding himself that he was supposed to bear the burden of scoring runs and encouraged himself to stay till the end. The wicketkeeper's positive self-talk paid off as his 89 in 55 balls helped India reach a match-winning total of 255/5, and they became the first team to successfully defend the title, that too in home conditions. Jasprit Bumrah's four-fer helped India beat NZ by 96 runs.

"One thing I have learned is that you cannot control form all the time. Form comes and goes. At that moment in our team setup, I was the one getting runs. The others at the other end were contributing too, but much of the run-scoring burden was on me. I could feel the responsibility of being the main run-scorer in the World Cup final against New Zealand. I kept reminding myself, 'Sanju, you are responsible. You need to keep going. You must stay there till the end and finish the job for your country.' That thought kept me focused throughout the innings," he said.

The wicketkeeper-batter also reflected that his confidence after the past two games helped him take some time, play out some dot balls, as he felt clear that he could hit sixes later and target bowlers well.

"When you are confident, you do not mind taking your time. I played an over against Santner where I faced four dot balls in a World Cup final. But I was completely sure that even if I played four dot balls there, I could hit two sixes later from the other end. I had absolute clarity. In the past, after four dot balls against Santner, I would have swung on the fifth out of panic, thinking, 'Man, you are wasting balls.' But the previous games against West Indies and England taught me that taking time and playing dot balls is okay. Your team needs you to stay out there, and you know your game plan. You know which bowler to target and when to attack. That gave me clarity and confidence," he said.

"I told myself, 'Now you cannot walk away from here.' So, I embraced the responsibility, used my experience, and played my natural game. I really enjoyed batting with everyone, Ishan (Kishan) played a great role too and we cannot forget the contributions of 'Mr. Bumrah'. He is a pure cheat code, and without that cheat code, we would not have gotten past England, and in the final, the start he provided was crucial. Everyone played their part, and I am very happy I contributed the way I did," he signed off.

Samson ended the tournament as India's top-run-getter and overall third-highest run-getter, scoring 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37, with a best cricket score of 97* and three fifties. While his form tapered off during the tour to the UK with three single-digit scores against Ireland and England and a 27 against England, he still remains a key talking point ahead of the T20 World Cup 2028. (ANI)