Samson hammered 12 fours and four sixes in his 50-ball knock to steer India to a five-wicket victory by chasing 196, thus keeping the defending champions\u2019 campaign alive and set up a semi-final clash against England in Mumbai on Thursday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cShot selection was something I kept working on. I did not want to change too much because I knew I had performed with the same setup, so I kept believing in myself, switched off my phone, switched off social media and listened to my own self. I am very happy it happened in a very special game,\" said Samson to Star Sports at the conclusion of the game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He reflected on how doubts crept into his mind when the runs weren\u2019t coming for him in the lead-up to the showpiece event. \"Our human nature is that we often start from a negative thought like, 'Can I do it? I don't think I can.' When I have that thought, I try to alter it with a very positive one.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhen I had a series like New Zealand where I wanted to perform and be part of the World Cup team, things did not work out well, but luckily I got a 10-day gap. I did not play any games and was not in the team. I kept thinking, 'Sanju, what else? Why didn't it work? What else should I do?'<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSo I did some soul-searching. I worked on my base, how I set myself up, and came back to it. A lot of people had suggestions and I saw a lot of valid points, but at the same time I felt, 'Sanju, you have scored three international hundreds with the same setup.'\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Samson was recalled to open the batting for India with a bid to break the left-handed top-order monotony and carried the team home almost single-handedly in the daunting chase, especially when he lost partners from the other end.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"It was a bit of a difficult chase. Looking at our batting power, I felt that chasing 190-odd at Eden Gardens, when dew comes in, gets a bit easier, but losing wickets at regular intervals made it challenging. To be honest, that's where my experience and my role played a big part.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI got a good start, but when the wickets kept falling, I felt I needed to finish the game and take it till the last moment. Normally you feel like doing it, but it doesn't happen all the time, so I am very grateful it happened in this game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"It was a bit of a difficult chase. Looking at our batting power, I felt that chasing 190-odd at Eden Gardens, when dew comes in, gets a bit easier, but losing wickets at regular intervals made it challenging. To be honest, that's where my experience and my role played a big part.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He signed off by saying on what the unbeaten 97 in Kolkata will mean to him. \"More than a hundred cricketers in India dream about a day like this. I dared to dream. A young guy from Trivandrum, Kerala, dreaming about playing for the country and winning a game in such a crucial match. I dared to dream and it happened.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n