Sanju Samson’s lost years: Did Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit and Dravid play a part?

Sanju Samson has always managed to stay relevant and remain in the headlines. A cricket superstar from Kerala is a rare commodity, and Samson has been a polarising figure over the years-whether it’s because he’s been selected to play for the Indian cricket team or, more often than not, overlooked. However, there’s no denying that Samson is one of the most gifted talents to have emerged from the country in recent times.
After years of being in and out of the team, Sanju Samson now seems determined to cement his place in the T20I side. Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir, Samson appears to have the security and confidence that were often lacking in the past.
Even as Samson became the first Indian cricketer to score back-to-back hundreds in T20I matches, with a stroke-filled 107 in Durban, his father, Vishwanath Samson, dropped a bombshell. He blamed four influential figures in Indian cricket-MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, and Rohit Sharma-for not giving his son consistent opportunities during his twenties.
“There are 3-4 people who wasted 10 years of my son’s vital career… captains like Dhoni ji, Virat [Kohli] ji, Rohit [Sharma] ji, and coach [Rahul] Dravid ji,” Sanju Samson’s father told a Kerala-based outlet.
He added: “The more they hurt him, the stronger Sanju came out of the crisis.”
It was a bold allegation to make from Vishwanath Samson, especially at a time when his son was enjoying success at the highest level. There were even murmurs in the local media in Kerala that Samson was hoping the statements from his father don’t blow up.
But, it did, dominating headlines on sports pages across the country.
This brings us to the question: Is there any truth to Vishwanath’s claims, or were they simply those of a proud and emotional father, elated by his son’s hard-earned success?
Sanju Samson’s cricketing journey began in Delhi, where he first picked up the bat as a young boy. His natural talent and ability to strike the ball cleanly were evident from the outset. However, opportunities in Delhi’s cricketing system-known for its cutthroat competition-were limited. Allegations of mismanagement and corruption within Delhi cricket have also made headlines in the past, making it even harder for promising players to rise.
Recognising that his son’s potential was not being fully realised in Delhi, and eager to provide him with better opportunities, Vishwanath Samson made the difficult decision to retire voluntarily from his job in the Delhi Police.
Since then, Vishwanath has been a constant guiding light in his son’s career. Yet, at times, his protective nature has attracted controversy — a topic we’ll revisit shortly.
Samson made his international debut in 2015 under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy in a second-string Indian side in Zimbabwe, after consistently performing for Kerala in domestic cricket. While opportunities in Delhi were scarce, Samson was a regular fixture in Kerala, where his talent shone through. In the Ranji Trophy season preceding his India debut, he made 475 runs at an average of 47.50.
However, it was his consistent performances with Rajasthan Royals that ultimately earned him the India call-up. Though initially bought by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012, it was under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy that Samson truly came into the spotlight at Rajasthan Royals in 2013, scoring 206 runs in the IPL and impressing in the now-defunct Champions League.
It was Dravid’s words of encouragement that gave Samson wings early in his career. Recently, Samson recalled the confidence Dravid instilled in him during the Royals’ trials in 2013.
“That day, Rahul sir told me, ‘You are definitely doing something really great. Would you like to play for our team?’ It gave me a lot of confidence, coming from Rahul sir, who has been a legend,” Samson said.
“If someone like him is saying I am good enough, then I am good enough.”
Despite making his debut for India at the age of 21, Samson had to wait five more years before making another appearance for the senior team.
In those five years, Samson’s career was marked by inconsistency. While he was a regular in the IPL, there were seasons where he started strongly but faded towards the latter half.
Former India chief selector MSK Prasad shed light on what kept Samson away from the national side after his initial call-up.
“Sanju’s problem 3-4 years ago was inconsistency. Now he has improved. He had a fantastic A series and a wonderful Vijay Hazare. We consider him a top-order batsman,” Prasad explained after handing him a call-up for a T20I series against Bangladesh in 2019 after India decided to move on from MS Dhoni.
It’s crucial to remember the level of competition for places in India’s senior national team, especially in the wicketkeeper-batter role. MS Dhoni was a fixture in both T20Is and ODIs until 2019, while KL Rahul emerged alongside Samson, showing promise as a wicketkeeper, despite being more recognised as a batter. With the top and middle-order stacked with stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Samson had to bide his time for opportunities.
In Test cricket, Wriddhiman Saha was the preferred choice after Dhoni’s retirement. Although Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel were considered a few times, Samson was never in the immediate frame for a Test call-up. His Ranji Trophy performances between 2014 and 2019, while solid, were not stellar enough to warrant a place in the Test side, with only one season averaging over 50 from more than five matches.
Samson’s journey hasn’t been without its share of off-field issues. No doubt, he had a superstar status in Kerala cricket circle as very few from the state managed to do what he was doing. Much like many modern cricketers, he relied heavily on the IPL route to make it to the national team, sometimes neglecting domestic cricket. On occasions, he found himself in hot water with the Kerala Cricket Association, and in 2017, the board even requested his father not to interfere in his son’s cricketing matters.
His return to the senior Indian team wasn’t easy. When he finally made a comeback, Virat Kohli was captain, and Ravi Shastri — who had long backed Samson’s talent-was the head coach. Only under Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid, Samson got consistent opportunities at the highest level.
In 2020, he played six T20Is but scored just 64 runs at an average of 10. The following year, he had three chances and managed just 34 runs. In 2022, he played six matches and scored 179 runs, while in 2023, he managed just 78 runs from eight matches.
But 2024 has seen a turnaround, thanks to greater role clarity and consistent opportunities from the team management, led by coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav. Samson revealed before India’s tour of South Africa that he was informed about his role as an opener for a home series against Bangladesh three weeks before the tour.
Samson took full advantage of this, scoring his maiden T20I century during India’s record-breaking series in Hyderabad in October. He followed it up with another hundred in Durban, reaffirming his potential.
“Three weeks before the series, I was fortunate to get a message from the leadership group. I think Surya, Gautam bhai, and Abhishek Nayar told me that I would be opening. That gave me proper preparation. I went back to Rajasthan Royals’ academy and faced plenty of new-ball bowlers. That preparation definitely helped me,” Samson explained.
Samson’s career has been a rollercoaster, filled with highs and lows. He was in the reckoning for a place in India’s 2022 T20 World Cup squad but was overlooked, despite an impressive ODI average of 71 in the lead-up to the tournament. He was also part of the T20 World Cup-winning squad earlier this year in the USA and the Caribbean, although he didn’t feature in a match.
Samson shared that when Rohit Sharma decided not to play him in the final, he took the time to explain his decision to Samson before the toss, adding that he was touched by the skipper’s gesture.
“If I were in his (Rohit) place, I would be thinking about the players who are playing, but not my batting. ‘I will explain to Sanju later’. That is what normally you think. At that point, he won a place in my heart that will stay for a lifetime,” said Samson.
The rub of the green has often evaded him, but Samson is not the first cricketer to face such challenges, nor will he be the last.
As they say, nothing is permanent in Indian cricket. Samson should be allowed to focus on the second innings of his career, which has all the signs of being fruitful and one of the most memorable chapters in Indian cricket history, if only his father does not complicate things for him in the dressing room by playing the victim card.