Sanju Samson Has Been Here Before: 10 km South-East from Where it All Began, With a Point to Prove

How far is Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar from the Feroz Shah Kotla (now known as Arun Jaitley Stadium) Stadium? Well, my Google Maps tells me it is around 10 kilometres in the North-West.

In the Northern part of Delhi, flanked by many other 'Nagars', GTB Nagar has a special place in the heart of Sanju Samson.

The Indian star spent a few formative years of his life at GTB Nagar in Delhi. His father was in service with the Delhi Police, and Sanju's interest in sports grew while watching his father play football. The densely placed northern suburb of Delhi is where his dream of becoming a cricketer was sown. He started his cricketing journey in Delhi, and on a sudden day, left the capital for Kerala.

It was for cricketing reasons. After he was not selected in the Delhi U13 team, his father moved the entire family from Delhi, back to Thiruvananthapuram for greater opportunities. The rest, as we know, is history.

Delhi has always been a special place for Sanju. Representing Delhi Capitals in the IPL, playing some excellent knocks at the Kotla, he has a deep connection with the city. But his return this time adds colour to it, though nothing fancy; it's grey.

Sanju Samson's journey with India's T20I side has once again raised questions over how much security a player needs after delivering on the biggest stage. And his career, at the moment, has a greyish tint, with either light (White) or darkness (Black) on either axis looming.

The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter was the Player of the Tournament in India's triumphant 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, producing three successive match-winning knocks of 97*, 89 and 89. Yet, within months of that extraordinary run, Samson found himself fighting for his place again.

His reward was not long-term security. He was subsequently dropped during the England series after scoring 5 and 0 against Ireland and 1 in the opening T20I against England. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi replaced him at the top, only after three innings after the stunning heroics at the World Cup.

More controversially, Samson was then left out of India's squad for the Zimbabwe T20Is altogether, despite being the World Cup's Player of the Tournament.

The recurring pattern explains why Samson's place remains under scrutiny. His form has fluctuated, but his ability to produce match-winning performances is undeniable. And as the T20I series against Afghanistan begins today, it is going to be a pivotal next few days in Sanju's career.

With three T20I matches, all in Delhi, Sanju has the opportunity to shine, and put his selection debate in the bin again. His career has been such, never secured. But Sanju has often found a way to claw back from adversity.

"Delhi has played a very big role in my life", Sanju said once, and it seems ready to play a big role again, this time in the trajectory of his India career.

The current Indian team has become quite shockingly ruthless. Sanju is still in the squad, but the World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav has found no place. With the emergence of Ishan Kishan, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju's role both as a wicketkeeper and opener will be monitored.

But the Kerala boy has always found a way out. And as he takes the crease this time, Samson may want to settle the score. His journey as a cricketer began in Delhi, but it had an abrupt ending.

"We have to move to Kerala. We are shifting," these words of his father when Sanu was 11, transformed their lives. The subsequent path made Sanju what he is today, and as he returns to a place 10 km south-east of the home from where it all began, Sanju may aim to settle the unfinished business.