• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Gautam Used To Wait Aakash Chopra Reveals Gambhirs Mad Support For Sanju Samson

'Gautam Used To Wait...,' Aakash Chopra Reveals Gambhir's Mad Support For Sanju Samson

Rajgeeta∙ Updated: Oct 13 2024, 1:46 PM

Gautam Gambhir with Sanju Samson [Source: @sujeetsuman1991/X.com]Gautam Gambhir with Sanju Samson [Source: @sujeetsuman1991/X.com]

India wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson had an incredible day for Team India on Saturday, October 12, during the third T20I against Bangladesh at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The right-handed batter opened the innings and dominated the game with a stunning performance, scoring 111 runs off just 47 balls. His spectacular knock featured 11 boundaries and eight sixes, propelling India to a formidable total of 297 runs. This explosive performance ultimately secured a resounding 133-run victory for the Men in Blue.

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra commented on the special bond between Gambhir and Samson. He recalled a conversation with Samson, where the young batter expressed his desire to impress Gambhir with his performance. Aakash revealed that Gambhir had previously tweeted about Samson’s potential.

"Let's talk about Sanju Samson, the phenomenon. Gautam Gambhir had tweeted a few years ago that Sanju Samson is not only India's best wicketkeeper-batter but the best young batter in the country. Once I was interviewing him (Samson) and I told him that the only motive in his life should be to get Gautam to tweet," said Chopra on his YouTube Channel.

Gautam Gambhir and Sanju Samson have shared the same dressing room in the Indian Premier League, playing for the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and Kolkata Knight Riders. Gambhir, who led KKR and served as a mentor during IPL 2024, has always believed in Samson’s talent. After Samson was selected for the T20 World Cup 2024 squad, Gambhir motivated him to showcase his abilities to the world. 

In the final match of the Bangladesh series, Samson finally delivered a performance that matched Gambhir's faith in him. After two quieter outings, he hit his stride with an explosive hundred, making the most of Gambhir’s encouragement. 

"Gautam used to wait for Sanju to do well for him to tweet. Gautam was a Sanju fan. He may still be a Sanju fan because of the way he batted. Firstly, he hit five sixes in an over. He said his mentor had asked him to do so. It came to my mind why his mentor didn't talk about six sixes," Chopra added.

Sanju Samson Becomes 1st Batter To Score 100 In India-Bangladesh T20I Match

Sanju Samson's remarkable century in Hyderabad also made him the first player to score a hundred in the 17 T20I matches played between India and Bangladesh. Before his innings, the highest score in these encounters belonged to Rohit Sharma, who scored 89 runs in Colombo on March 14, 2018.