Sanju Viswanath Samson (/ˌsʌndʒusæmsən/ⓘ; born 11 November 1994) is an Indian internationalcricketer, who is a member of thewhite-ball formats ofIndian national team. A right-handedwicket-keeper-batter, he captainsRajasthan Royals in theIndian Premier League andKerala in domestic. He was a part of the Indian team which won the2024 T20 World Cup. He made his international debut in 2015 in aT20 international againstZimbabwe. He is the only player to score three centuries in T20 internationals in a calendar year (2024). He is the first Indian wicket keeper to score a century in a T20 international. He is also the first Indian to score two consecutive centuries in T20 Internationals.
Samson started his cricketing career inDelhi and later moved toKerala. After making an impact in junior cricket, he made his first-class debut for Kerala in 2011. He made his Premier League debut in 2013 for Rajasthan Royals and won theEmerging Player of the Year[broken anchor]. He scored an unbeaten 212 in the2019–20 Vijay Hazare Trophy, the sixth time an Indian scored a double-century inList A cricket, which is also the second-fastest double-century in the format. Sanju scored his debut ODI century in the 3rd ODI in the three-match series againstSouth Africa on 21 December 2023.[2][3]
Samson spent his early childhood in the Police residential colony inNorth Delhi neighbourhood ofGTB Nagar and studied at Rosary Senior Secondary School,Delhi.[11] He was trained under coach Yashpal at the academy in DL DAV Model School,Shalimar Bagh.[12] When he didn't make it into theDelhi U-13 team for Dhruv Pandove Trophy, his father took voluntary retirement from theDelhi police force; a year after he retired from football and moved toKerala, where Samson and his brother continued their cricketing careers.[13][14] In Kerala, he attended Masters Cricket Club in Thiruvananthapuram[15] before changing academies to train underBiju George onMedical College Ground, Thiruvananthapuram.[16]
Samson was a member of the U-13 cricket team ofKerala in 2007.[8] In the KSCA Inter-State under-13 tournament, he captained Kerala and bagged the player of the tournament award scoring 973 runs, including four centuries in five matches at an average of 108.11.[21] As a member of Kerala U-16 team for the 2008–09 Vijay Merchant Trophy, he scored a double century off 138 balls againstGoa[22] and finished the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer with 498 runs including two centuries and two fifties.[23][24] He was also the captain of Kerala in U-16 and U-19 levels.[25]
His performance in the 2010-11Cooch Behar Trophy[26] earned him a spot in theIndia U-19 team that played the2012 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup held inMalaysia in June 2012.[6][27] His dismal show in the tournament meant that he failed to get selected to India's squad for the2012 Under-19 Cricket World Cup that followed.[28] He was named vice-captain of India U-19 team for the2013 Top End Under-19 Series in Australia in June 2013.[29] He scored two half-centuries in India U-19's Youth Test series against Sri Lanka held from July to August 2013.[30] In the 2013 ACC Under 19 Asia cup in UAE, he scored a century in the final against Pakistan, helping India retain the cup.[31] He was also India's vice-captain in the tournament.[32] In January 2014,BCCI appointed Sanju as vice-captain of team India for the2014 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.[33] He was the top run-scorer for India in the tournament[34] with a highest score of 85 runs from 45 balls againstPapua New Guinea.[35]
Samson was appointed as the captain ofKerala for the2015–16 Ranji Trophy season.[56] Then aged 20,[57] he is the youngest Kerala player to captain the state inRanji Trophy.[58] He began the season with a ton[59][60] but failed to convert it into a successful season.[61]
He started thenext Ranji season scoring a 154 againstJammu and Kashmir[62][63] but again failed to impress the rest of the season.[64][65] He was issued a show-cause notice byKerala Cricket Association for alleged acts of indiscipline during a match in the tournament.[66]
Samson was the leading run-scorer for Kerala in the2017–18 Ranji Trophy, with 627 runs from seven matches.[67] In a must-win match againstSaurashtra, he scored a 68 in the first innings and smashed a 180 ball 175 in the second innings, helping his team claim a 309 runs victory and quarter-final berth.[68][69] Kerala went on to play its first quarter-final in Ranji Trophy history in the season with Samson being one of their top performers.[70][71]
In November 2017, he was appointed as the captain of theBoard President's XI, replacing an injuredNaman Ojha for a two-day tour match against Sri Lanka.[72] He scored a century against the visiting team ending the match in a draw.[73]
In September 2019, he scored 91 runs off 48 balls in the fifth unofficial List-A match between India A andSouth Africa A team and was awarded the man-of-the-match award.[75][76] In October 2019, during the2019–20 Vijay Hazare Trophy match betweenKerala andGoa, Sanju doubled his maiden List-A century.[77][78] It was the second-fastest double hundred[79] and the fastest by an Indian in the format.[80] It was also the highest total made by a wicket-keeper in a List-A match with an unbeaten 212 runs from 129 balls.[81] His partnership of 338 runs with Kerala skipperSachin Baby in the match is the highest in List-A cricket for Indian cricket and the third highest in the format.[82] The impact made from this innings went on to earn him a national call-up after four years, as he was selected to play theBangladesh series that followed.[83][84]
In September 2022, he was named captain of theIndia A squad playing a 3 ODI-series againstNew Zealand A cricket team.[88] Indiawhitewashed New Zealand, with Samson being the highest run-getter of the series.[89]
In August 2014, Sanju was selected to India's 17-man squad to play in 5 ODIs and a Twenty20 againstEngland.[90] However, he did not make it to the final eleven in any of the matches and remained a backup keeper toMS Dhoni.[91] In October 2014, he was called to the Twenty20 team to play asolitary T20 against West Indies,[92] which later got cancelled.[93] In December 2014, he was named in India's 30-member probables list for the2015 Cricket World Cup but did not make to the final squad.[94] In July 2015, he was drafted into the Indian squad againstZimbabwe for an ODI and two T20I matches as an injury replacement forAmbati Rayudu.[95] He made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe atHarare on 19 July 2015.[96] After a top-order collapse, Samson added 36 runs in the sixth wicket, along withStuart Binny in a low-score chase. India eventually lost the match to Zimbabwe by 10 runs.[97]
In October 2019, he was recalled to the Indian side after four years as a part of India'sTwenty20 International (T20I) squad for theirseries against Bangladesh;[98] but was benched in the whole series.[99] In November 2019, he was added to the Indian team for T20I series against West Indies after an injury toShikhar Dhawan.[100] In December 2019, he was named in the Twenty 20 squad to play againstSri Lanka.[101] He featured in the third T20I and was dismissed in the second ball, after hitting the first for a sixer.[102] He was selected for the T20I series of theIndia tour ofNew Zealand replacing an injuredShikhar Dhawan[103] but failed to create an impact with the bat with a string of low scores.[104][105]
"Sanju was fearless at the top of the order. He tried to take the momentum away, he should back himself".
Virat Kohli on Samson's batting on Team India. —[106]
In June 2021, he was named in India'sOne Day International (ODI) andTwenty20 International (T20I) squads for their seriesagainst Sri Lanka.[112] He made his ODI debut on 23 July 2021 in the dead rubber third ODI playing run-a-ball innings of 46 and ended on the losing side.[113] He disappointed with the bat in the T20 series in which a depleted Team India lost to Sri Lanka 2–1 with Samson scoring only 34 runs.[114][115] He missed out from the Indian squad for the2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, held in October 2021, because of his poor form in T20s.[116]
In June 2022, he was named in India's squad for the first T20I of theirseries against England,[122] but didn't feature in the starting eleven.[123] In July 2022, he was named in India's ODI squad for their away seriesagainst the West Indies.[124] He scored his maiden ODI half-century in the second match of the series. His 99-run partnership withShreyas Iyer in the fourth wicket set the foundation for India's victory.[125] On 29 July 2022, he was added to India'sTwenty 20 International (T20I) squad, also for their series against West Indies, afterKL Rahul tested positive forCOVID-19 and scored 30* and 15 in the last two matches respectively.[126] The same month, he was named in India'sOne Day International (ODI) squad for their seriesagainst Zimbabwe.[127] In the second ODI against Zimbabwe, he scored an unbeaten 43 and took three catches and was declared the man of the match.[128]
In October 2022, he was named in India's squadagainst South Africa for three ODIs.[129] He scored an unbeaten 86 runs off 63 balls in the first ODI, but ended up in the losing side. But India managed to turn things around in next two ODIs with Samson unbeaten on 30 and 2 respectively.[130] He was not selected for2022 T20 World Cup.[131] In December 2022, he was selected for T20I seriesagainst Sri Lanka but scored only 5 runs in first match and got ruled out for remaining two matches due to an injury in his left knee while attempting to field a ball near the boundary ropes during the 1st T20I.[132] In June 2023, he was named in ODI and T20I series forWest Indies tour.[133] He scored 51 off 41 balls in third ODI but had a rough T20I series where he scored 12,7 and 13 respectively and did not get to bat in third and fourth matches.[134] He was also selected for next T20I away seriesagainst Ireland and scored 40 off 26 balls in second T20I.[135]
On 30 November 2023, he was selected in India's squad for the 3 match ODI series against South Africa.[136] He scored his maiden hundred in the third ODI of the series scoring 108 off 114 balls which proved to be match winning as India won the series decider by 78 runs. He was adjudged with man of the match award.[137]
In October 2024, he was named in India's squad for the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh. In the third match of the series, he scored his maiden T20I century, registering 111 runs off 47 balls and contributing to India's victory.[138] During the innings, he set multiple records, including the second-fastest century by an Indian batter in T20Is, the fastest fifty by an Indian wicketkeeper-batter against Bangladesh, and the highest individual score by an Indian batter against Bangladesh in T20Is.
He was also selected for the 4 match T20I series in South Africa tour. He scored 107 runs out of 50 balls, including 7 fours and 10 sixes in the 1st match, being the first Indian batter to score centuries in consecutive matches.[139] He has also become the first Indian wicket-keeper batter to score a century in T20I in South Africa soil. He also scored another century in the 4th T20I, scoring unbeaten 109 of 56 balls with 6 fours and 9 sixes to his name making his century tally to 3 in T20 internationals.[140] Along with Tilak Varma who scored another century he put up a record unbeaten 210 run 2nd wicket partnership to guide India to mammoth total of 283 in the 4th T20.
By scoring his 3rd T20 century against South Africa on 15 November 2024, Sanju became the batsman with most centuries in a calendar year in T20 Internationals, ie, 3.
Samson was named byKolkata Knight Riders in its player pool ahead of2009 Indian Premier League.[142] He was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of2012 Indian Premier League[143] but did not get to play and was released ahead of the2013 season.[144] He was signed to play forRajasthan Royals in 2013.[145] He made his IPL debut for Rajasthan againstKings XI Punjab on 14 April 2013 after the regular wicket-keeperDishant Yagnik failed to recover from an injury.[146] In his second match, he scored 63 runs from 41 balls, becoming the then youngest player in IPL to score a half-century.[147][Note 1] He won the Emerging Player award of 2013 season with 206 runs and six stumpings from 10 innings.[149]
He returned to Rajasthan in the2018 IPL auction[156] He scored his second IPL century in thenext season, hitting an unbeaten 102* againstSunrisers Hyderabad.[157] During the 2020 season, Sanju scored a 32-ball 74 againstChennai Super Kings.[158] He led Rajasthan to the highest successful run chase in IPL history with 85 runs from 42 balls againstKings XI Punjab in the next match.[159] He played his 100th IPL match, later in the season.[160]
"You're a captain when you're fielding, not when you're batting".
In January 2021, Samson was named the captain ofRajasthan Royals ahead of the2021 Indian Premier League.[162] He scored a century in his first match as captain, becoming the first IPL captain to achieve the feat.[163] He completed 3000 runs in IPL later in the season.[164]
In November 2021, he was retained by Rajasthan Royals ahead of the2022 Indian Premier League.[165] Samson surpassedAjinkya Rahane to become the all-time leading run-scorer for Rajasthan during the season.[166] Rajasthan went on to play the finals and finished as the runners-up under his leadership.[167]
In2023, he played as a captain ofRajasthan Royals and scored 362 runs with 3 half centuries in season and finished 5th on points table.
In2024,Rajasthan Royals won 8 matches out of their first 9 matches under his leadership. He individually scored 531 runs out of 16 matches with 5 half centuries, which is considered the best season for him. In this season, Rajasthan Royals ended up the league stage at 3rd on points table, and went on to Qualifier 2 but defeated bySunrisers Hyderabad by 36 runs.
Sanju Samson is the only player to have scored more than fifty runs in the first match of a season for five consecutive seasons playing for Rajasthan Royals. He scored 74(32) against Chennai Super Kings in 2020 season,[168] 119(63) against Punjab Kings in 2021 season,[169] 55(27) against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2022 season,[170] 55(32) against Sunrisers in 2023 season[171] and 82*(52) Lucknow Super Giants in 2024 season.[172] He became man of the match on all these occasions.
Sanju is a naturally aggressive and elegant batsman[174][175][176] who is hailed as a natural talent with quality batting techniques and wicket-keeping skills.[177][178] He holds the bat high on the handle and keeps a loose shoulder,[179] and is equipped with fast hands, powerful forearms and excellent hand-eye coordination.[174][14] He is considered an excellent timer of the ball[180] who mostly sticks to his range betweencover andfine-leg.[181] He prefers to stay still at the crease and rarely moves down the track to play shots.[174] He has the ability to play straight and prefers to hit straight over the bowler's head.[174] He can play aerial shots without moving his head.[180]
"There’s not much feet movement – only when he has to step out. Otherwise, he stays still, maintains balance and that’s why he manages to transfer his weight well and get his timing right.”
His power has been compared to powerful stroke-makers such asRohit Sharma andAB de Villiers who can middle the ball to play shots with seemingly minimal effort.[183] His batting style has been described as "fearless" in Twenty20 cricket.[184][185][186] However, he has a weakness in rotating strike.[179]
He is also an athletic fielder[187][188][189] who generally fields in the outfield,[190] but is flexible to field in any position.[191] He has been often criticized for being inconsistent over the years.[110][192] He has also been often criticized for his shot selections[193][174] and temperament.[194][195][177]
As of 2016, Sanju is working as the manager ofBharat Petroleum,Thiruvananthapuram.[17] In 2018, he started a sports academy, namely "Six Guns Sports Academy", devoted to cricket and football training for young players in Thiruvananthapuram.[196] He was appointed as the State election icon of Kerala, ahead of the2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election.[197] In February 2023,Indian Super League clubKerala Blasters FC announced the appointment of Sanju as its brand ambassador to represent the club and its values on and off the field.[198]
Sanju married his long-time girlfriend Charulatha Remesh, a native ofThiruvananthapuram, on 8 September 2018 through his social media platforms.[199] The couple were college-mates fromMar Ivanios College.[200] The wedding took place in a private ceremony atKovalam on 22 December 2018.[201] The wedding reception took place inNalanchira on the same day with the only notable cricketer to attend being Samson's former coach and mentor,Rahul Dravid.[202]
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