Photo credit: BCCI
Christchurch, October 22 (IANS) Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson said India's batters go into every T20I looking to kill the game in the Power-play itself, whatever the target, after his 33-ball 67 set up the visitors' highest successful chase in the format against New Zealand in Christchurch at the Hagley Oval.
India overhauled 225/4 posted by New Zealand with two balls to spare to win the series opener by four wickets, with Samson and Abhishek Sharma sharing a 93-run opening stand before knocks of 42 from skipper Shreyas Iyer and an unbeaten Naman Dhir took them home in front of a sell-out crowd.
"So even if you're chasing 170 and if you've got a flyer, we made sure that we killed the game in the Power-play itself. So, that's what we have been doing really well in the last couple of years. I think that's the mentality which we have been showing," Samson said in the post-match press conference.
He also said the approach was a team philosophy that India had adopted after their 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. "I think not only me and Abhi, whoever is playing for Indian cricket, but that's the style which we have been following right after winning the 2024 World Cup. I think we just have to follow what is working for us as a team.
“So that's what we keep up and then try to do that every game. Sometimes it comes off nicely, sometimes it doesn't. But we have to keep believing in ourselves and keep the team in front and keep doing it," he said.
Asked whether the big target had dictated the blistering start, Samson said India approached each phase of the innings differently.
"I don't think so. We would have played a bit differently, but I think it's a different phase of the game. You have different approaches. I think if you're having a power play and you had a really good start in the power play, we actually play it very differently, like power plays are different, middle overs are different, and the death overs are different," he added.
Looking ahead to the second game, also to be played at the Hagley Oval on Saturday, Samson said the mindset would stay the same even if the match situation changed.
"I think my mindset would be very similar, but I think my conditions might change. We might bat first in the next game. So, definitely, we will have to think and be a bit more present and then whatever the game tells you, you have to respect that and follow that," he said.
Samson, whose place on the side has often been hugely debated, said he did not play the game to silence his critics. "To be very honest, you can't think about what social media is saying or what the other people are saying. You just have to be in the process, be in a very different environment. I think playing in Indian cricket is not easy. There is a lot of noise happening. A lot of people have their own comments.
"But to be very honest, I think trying to prove them wrong - I don't think I play this game in that kind of mindset. I just keep my cricket up front. I respect my process. I respect my practise and then go out and do what's best possible, actually. So I like to keep it very small. I think I don't work from that kind of a mindset of trying to prove people wrong," Samson said.
He further said winning big matches for the country, as he had done a few months ago during the victorious T20 World Cup triumph, had given him a different level of self-belief, and also lavished praise on Dhir, who finished unbeaten on 42 off 15 balls.
"Yes, definitely. When you play for your country and win crucial matches, your mental frame becomes a bit different. I have been very lucky that I got that a few months ago. So I think it is very important to have that confidence every time you walk out to bat for your country. So definitely, it is there in my mind.
"Talking about what happened in the end, I think great credit must go to Naman Dhir. I think he is just playing his 4th, 5th or 6th international game for the country. It was a very crucial game, and he kept his calmness in a tight situation and won a good match for India. I think he is definitely a great prospect for India in the coming future," he added.
With India arriving in New Zealand days after their home series against the West Indies ended at 2-2, Samson said the players were happy with the busy calendar and had worked hard on their fitness after a team meeting following the England series.
"I think in the last couple of months, we have been playing a lot of games. But to be honest, I feel very lucky that we are playing games. I think I would prefer playing games instead of not playing games. So I think we have been playing games, and we have been working a lot on our fitness.
"I think after the England series, we have had a very strong meeting where I think things were communicated very properly, and we have a very tight schedule coming up. So make sure you do your fitness routines nicely. I think the team has put in some really proper work towards it.
"Physically, we are definitely in a great state. Also mentally, I think we have been taking care very nicely. We travel in business class, and stay in really big hotels. So everything is great, actually, and we can't complain," the wicketkeeper-batter said.
Samson signed off by saying the players had made the most of their lone practice session before the opener. "We got practice for only one day, and definitely we are playing a very important game of the series in the first game. I think the first game is very, very important. This is where the whole tone gets set.
"So I think not only me; I think I could see each and every player, each and every one of the 15 or 16 players putting in that extra effort yesterday, knowing that it is just one day. But we will make sure everything is 100 percent before we go and play that game. So everyone has their own process. I also follow my process in practice. So I did the same," he added.
