Samson reveals how he had been thinking of hitting six sixes in an over

Sanju Samson, who dispatched Rishad Hossain for five sixes in an over in his attractive knock of 111 off just 47 balls in the third and final T20I of the three-match series against Bangladesh on October 12 (Saturday), said that he had been thinking about hitting six sixes in an over for quite some time now. 

"From the last two years, I have been thinking I can hit six sixes in an over. Accordingly, I have been working with my mentor, Raiphi Gomez, and telling myself that four-five sixes in an over are possible and I should do something like that,” Samson said after the game.

“I have been practising and visualising it and I am very grateful it happened today,” added the wicketkeeper-batter who smashed his maiden T20I ton for the country after having debuted 9 years ago. 

Lauding the leadership group of the team which includes skipper Suryakumar Yadav, head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Abhishek Nayar, Samson said that the clarity they gave him worked wonders for his confidence. 

“They told me three weeks before this series that I would be opening the innings. That gave me time for proper preparation. I went to the RR [Rajasthan Royals] academy and faced lots and lots of new-ball bowlers. So I came in this series 10% more ready than any other series,” revealed the 29-year-old about his preparation for his series. 

Samson, who played his first game in the Indian colours in 2015 as a 20-year-old against Zimbabwe, has so far appeared in only 33 matches. Talking about not getting a long run, Samson accepted that you cannot get a long run if you do not showcase consistency.

"When you are playing for the country and you fail in a couple of games, you know the pressure is there. I have to be honest, pressure was there. I wanted to perform. I wanted to show what I was capable of,” he said. 

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