‘Abhishek is brave, but his early stardom invited jealousy’: Sanju Samson
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Abhishek is brave, but his early stardom invited jealousy’: Sanju Samson")
‘Abhishek is brave, but his early stardom invited jealousy’ Sanju Samson Photograph: (Others)
Sanju Samson reveals the truth behind his "fire and fire" partnership with Abhishek Sharma at the India Today Conclave. Discover how the duo’s record-breaking Powerplay fueled India's T20 World Cup win and why Abhishek remains the World No. 1 T20I batter.
Recently crowned T20 World Cup-winning pair Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson wreaked havoc during the finale against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, smashing respective fifties and adding 92 runs for the first wicket inside the Powerplay, a record feat. While Samson top-scored with a match-winning 89, his partner Abhishek, who was out of touch for most of the tournament, slammed an 18-ball fifty, helping India post a gigantic 255 for seven in the first innings.
Speaking at the India Today conclave, the pair shared their on-field camaraderie, with Samson not stopping but praising India’s newest cricket sensation. However, Sanju also dropped a bombshell around the dressing room environment, considering Abhishek’s steep rise in T20 cricket.
While he broke this notion of being labelled a calmer player of the two, as the narrative sells on the internet, Samson admitted that Abhishek’s rise to fame invited jealousy within the group.
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"We are not ice and fire, we are fire and fire. Sometimes he fires, sometimes I do. We have that kind of combination going. We have done this since 2024; we have a Kerala-Punjabi friendship in the middle. Everything comes pretty naturally to us, so we do not complicate it.
“He asks me, 'How is the ball coming?' I tell him that the ball is coming normally, and hit it for a six. It is really simple with him. Abhishek is very brave and collected. I love his character. I really love the partnership with him on and off the field," Samson said at the India Today Conclave.
Speaking of growing insecurities among the players with Abhishek’s unusual success rate, Samson said, "Earlier, the boys used to get jealous because of the cheers for Abhishek.
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"It was Abhishek, Abhishek everywhere. We were like, ‘Do people only see him or what? But yes, he is the superstar of the team now. Get married soon, bhai," he added.
Meanwhile, despite a shallow run at the top in his maiden ICC tournament, Abhishek retained his place at the top-ranked T20I batter in the world, with Ishan Kishan, who had a breakthrough run in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup and even during it, has climbed two places to the second spot on the rankings.
Samson also jumped 18 spots to sit in the 22nd position, attaining his highest rating points (637) in this format.
The two, however, will return to action for their respective IPL teams when the 19th edition gets underway later this month. While Abhishek’s SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be in action against the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the tournament opener (Mar 28), Samson, who switched sides ahead of this season, will feature for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals at their second home venue in Guwahati on Sunday (Mar 29).
