Samson on playing first World Cup final: 'One of the best moments in my life'

"I did not miss two centuries. I have made 97 and 89 - it is a very big thing," Sanju Samson says of his back-to-back match-winning innings at the T20 World Cup

Sanju Samson will play his first World Cup final on Sunday. That India are the first team as defending champions to make the final is in large part because of Samson, who has now picked up the Player-of-the-Match award in successive games for his undefeated 97 against West Indies last Sunday and then, on Thursday evening, thrashing England's bowlers for 89 in the semi-final.

"It means one of the best moments in my life," Samson said on the World Cup final on March 8 against New Zealand in Ahmedabad. "I'm very grateful for that. I have been playing this format for a very long time. I played around 300 or 400 T20s 328. I played from one to six in the batting order. I have captained the IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals. So I have the experience of knowing what does a team demand at the moment and what is my exact role in this XI. So that clarity definitely helps you to score runs the way you want to."

Samson's match-winning innings against West Indies came in a chase that became tight towards the end, but he stayed till the end to take India home. This time, on a pitch he described as "true", Samson and opening partner Abhishek Sharma figured early that 250 was a minimum.RelatedSamson: I would not be standing here if not for Bumrah

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"Last match was all about taking the team along," Samson said. "As soon as we built momentum, wickets were falling. So I had to finish it until the last ball, but this game was completely different. When you are batting first in Wankhede, you know no score is enough here. So, after I got a start, I wanted to capitalise and hit as many sixes and fours as possible."

The trio of Abhishek, Samson and Ishan Kishan have batted fearlessly, swinging their bats at nearly every ball especially in the powerplay, a phase Samson said matches were now being decided in.

"The game is won and lost in the powerplay," he said. "So once you have seen three or four balls, you start to attack like Abhishek has been doing, like how Ishan and myself are doing. So the job of the top three is exploding in the powerplay. Sometimes you end on the negative side of the result and sometimes you win. But you can't change the character or the gameplan because we are batting till No. 8. So you play according to what the team wants and, if it is your day, carry the team, otherwise, support the others."3:45Samson: Was confident facing Archer

Samson is one step away from wearing a potential World Cup medal, but even as he has been enjoying some of the highest points of his career over the past week, his journey in the past six months has been far from easy.

A top-order batter, he was pushed down during the Aisa Cup following loss of form and questions about his technique. He was not an assured pick for this World Cup as he struggled during the home T20I series against New Zealand. Kishan started the World Cup as Abhishek's opening partner before the team management decided to open with Samson and push Kishan to No. 3 to cover for Abhishek's struggles through this World Cup.

Samson admitted it was a "very, very challenging" period. "I definitely wanted to come and do what I'm trying to do now for the country, wanted to win games in the World Cup, but I was trying a bit too much in the New Zealand series," he said. "I wanted to make an impact and get into the XI of the World Cup here, but you know this format - this T20 cricket can get very funny. Even the best in the world actually struggle to score runs in this format. So I had to respect the game. I had to work a bit more on my basics."2:20Samson: Final is going to be Abhishek's day

"When hard times were coming, I think my close people, the people who I love, who I support, they were with me. I closed all my windows. I shut down my phone. I was not on social media. I'm still not on social media so less noise, less people interacting with me. That really helped me to focus on the right direction and I'm very happy how I'm going."

Among Samson's strengths, as a player and as a leader, is that he is an easygoing guy who can lighten the atmosphere by cracking jokes.

When a journalist said he might have missed the opportunity to score two centuries in the last two matches, Samson pointed out, "Bhai, I did not miss two centuries. I have made 97 and 89 - it is a very big thing."

"I have been unlucky in the past at times, but sometimes luck also works in your favour once in a while," he said. "I was very fortunate that I have got this opportunity so let me grasp it now. It was a ball to be hit, I hit. The catch was dropped. No worries. Next time I will hit a bit harder. You keep it very simple and your mind is always processing how to hit the bowlers, which areas to hit at."