Once considered a failed prospect, Sanju Samson is now returning as a force in T20I cricket, and this comeback has all the hallmarks of a passage underlined with patience, perseverance, and a lot of hard-hitting cricket. Continuing to prosper in a format that rewards both power and precision, the recent games have sparked a renewal which should probably remind one and all of his pedigree as an international cricketer. Early Struggle and Very Few Opportunities Image Source: Associated Press Sanju Samson played his first T20I for India against Zimbabwe on 19 July 2015 at Harare. As a promising young batter, he had aggressive strokeplay and skill behind the stumps, but in his first innings, Samson could score only 19 runs. He played again after five long years in 2020 against Sri Lanka, scoring just six runs. This long break really tells the stop-start nature of his early international career and reflected in his performance too. Sporadic T20I career for Samson between 2015 and 2022, a mix of competition for spots and then inconsistent returns has constrained his opportunities. He was lucky to get a half-century in the 14th match of his T20I career when he scored 77 runs against Ireland in 2022. It left hope to see him as a substantial top-order batter when his performances could not be consistent, and he could not consolidate his position. Also Read | Sanju Samson Reaches 7000 T20 Runs as Joint 7th Fastest Indian Batter Samson's IPL 2024 Success Fueled T20 WC Call Image Source: BCCI Sanju Samson's consistent performance in the IPL 2024 was good enough to get him into the India T20 World Cup 2024 squad. He scored 385 runs in nine matches with an average of 77.00 and a strike rate of 161.08 before the squad announcement. Sanju Samson highlighted his consistence as well as temperament in big games. How he put together multi-50-plus innings depicts his reliability to play for Rajasthan Royals. Overall, in the entire IPL 2024 season, Sanju had amassed 531 runs from 15 matches. Serving as the skipper of Rajasthan Royals, Samson showed great leadership and guided his side well as well as made fine tactical decisions for his side. All these with a vast experience in IPL helped him in an acute race to his spots in India's T20 World Cup squad with KL Rahul and Jitesh Sharma posing really stiff competition. His very good form in IPL proved as a helping factor for selectors to earn a well-deserved place for the World Cup for India. Samson’s Post-World Cup Comeback Struggles Image Source: Associated Press The good IPL in the year 2024 definitely saw the participation of Samson in the T20 World Cup squad of India. But this time again, he could not get a chance to play in this tournament, which was a big setback for this promising cricketer as there was less playing time at this huge international level and kept the pressure on him to deliver whenever he got a chance to play. Samson again came to international cricket with some seriousness after the T20 World Cup. Exactly 14 matches after his first half-century, he again produced a notable innings this time against Zimbabwe at Harare, where he scored 58. Samson's form dipped after the series against Zimbabwe, and two consecutive ducks against Sri Lanka raise again questions of his temperament at international pressure. Sanju Samson's T20I Redemption He was highly criticized, but the last T20I against Bangladesh proved to be the game-changer for Samson. His massive 111, his first ton in T20I cricket, came off just 47 balls that also hit 11 fours and 8 sixes, leaving all the fans and critics in awe. He reached the century mark within just 40 balls. He became the second fastest Indian batter to score a T20I century after Rohit Sharma, who scored a century in 35 balls. This century showed that Samson is a natural player who can hit strong shots and accelerate at the right time from which the country had been expecting him for years. Sanju Samson becomes the first Indian to hit back-to-back centuries in T20Is 🔥💯🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/NkavSf4G3W — CricketGully (@thecricketgully) November 8, 2024 The form of Samson continued into India's next series against South Africa. He came in as the opener and again played a scintillating knock. He made 107 out of 50 balls, peppered with 7 fours and 10 sixes. His innings in the 1st T20I against South Africa broke multiple records. Some of them are mentioned below: Records Created By Sanju Samson After 1st T20I Against SA Back-to-Back Centuries: Sanju Samson is the first Indian to have registered two back-to-back centuries in T20I, as his first century was of 111 runs in the T20I against Bangladesh on October 12, 2024, while second came against South Africa in the 1st T20I. 1st Asian to score tons in successive T20Is: Sanju Samson became the first Asian player and fourth overall to score consecutive hundreds in the T20I. Centuries Against South Africa: He is the fourth Indian after Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav, who made a century in T20Is against South Africa. 2nd Indian to Score T20I Century in South Africa: Samson is the second Indian after Suryakumar Yadav, who had scored a T20I century in South Africa. 4th Indian with Multiple T20I centuries: Samson has become the fourth Indian to have struck multiple T20I hundreds with his innings, after Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and KL Rahul. T20I Centuries in a Calendar Year: He became the third Indian batter to score more than one T20I hundred in a calendar year, he is only the third Indian to have achieved the feat after Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav Highest T20I score in IND vs SA T20Is: Samson's 107 off 50 balls is the highest individual score in T20Is between India and South Africa and overhauled Rohit Sharma's 106 in 2015. Most Sixes in T20I Between India and South Africa: Samson struck 10 sixes during his 107-run innings to make the most sixes in a T20I match for India and South Africa. Most Sixes in a T20I innings by an Indian: Ten sixes scored by Samson in the game are the most sixes hit by an Indian in T20I innings, equalling Rohit Sharma's tally of 10 sixes in 2017. Centuries in Both ODIs and T20Is vs. South Africa: He also is now the second Indian to score centuries in both ODIs and T20Is against South Africa, after Rohit Sharma. Also Read | Watch: Samson’s Effortless Six Over Wide Long-Off in 1st T20I Sanju Samson's T20I Stats Runs Against Venue Date 19 Zimbabwe Harare 19 Jul 2015 6 Sri Lanka Pune 10 Jan 2020 8 New Zealand Wellington 31 Jan 2020 2 New Zealand Mount Maunganui 2 Feb 2020 23 Australia Canberra 4 Dec 2020 15 Australia Sydney 6 Dec 2020 10 Australia Sydney 8 Dec 2020 27 Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) 25 Jul 2021 7 Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) 28 Jul 2021 0 Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) 29 Jul 2021 DNB Sri Lanka Lucknow 24 Feb 2022 39 Sri Lanka Dharamsala 26 Feb 2022 18 Sri Lanka Dharamsala 27 Feb 2022 77 Ireland Dublin (Malahide) 28 Jun 2022 30* West Indies Lauderhill 6 Aug 2022 15 West Indies Lauderhill 7 Aug 2022 5 Sri Lanka Wankhede 3 Jan 2023 12 West Indies Tarouba 3 Aug 2023 7 West Indies Providence 6 Aug 2023 DNB West Indies Providence 8 Aug 2023 DNB West Indies Lauderhill 12 Aug 2023 13 West Indies Lauderhill 13 Aug 2023 1* Ireland Dublin (Malahide) 18 Aug 2023 40 Ireland Dublin (Malahide) 20 Aug 2023 0 Afghanistan Bengaluru 17 Jan 2024 12* Zimbabwe Harare 10 Jul 2024 DNB Zimbabwe Harare 13 Jul 2024 58 Zimbabwe Harare 14 Jul 2024 0 Sri Lanka Pallekele 28 Jul 2024 0 Sri Lanka Pallekele 30 Jul 2024 29 Bangladesh Gwalior 6 Oct 2024 10 Bangladesh Delhi 9 Oct 2024 111 Bangladesh Hyderabad 12 Oct 2024 107 South Africa Durban 8 Nov 2024 Conclusion T20I redemption by Sanju Samson is an epitome of persistence in the game. With a tough ride having passed through many missed opportunities and failure, Samson proved that he totally deserves to be in the international arena with the addtional fresh flavor and positivity given into the batting armory of India. Performances like these not only hush critics down but also catapult him as one potential game-changer for India.