Sanju Samson has learnt to live with the inevitable “pressure and failures” of top-flight sport. He also thanked the leadership group for guiding him through dark phases of self-doubt and giving him another chance to prove his worth.

Finally, Samson has been able to build a bridge between talent and productivity while smashing a sparkling maiden T20I hundred against Bangladesh here on Saturday. But the period preceding it was not really a pleasant one for the keeper-batter.

Two successive ducks against Sri Lanka in July and two more tepid outings against Bangladesh over the past week here had left him creaking. “After a couple of ducks in Sri Lanka, I was a tad doubtful about getting a chance in the next series. But they (coaching staff and captain) backed me and kept on saying, ‘We will back you no matter what’,” said Samson in the post-match news conference.

The 29-year-old accepts that he cannot walk away from the pockets of pressure as an India cricketer. “I think mentally, you go through a lot as an India cricketer, especially in this format (T20). But I have learnt to cope with the pressure and the failures.

“I think a lot of credit has to go to the dressing room, the leadership group. The captain and the coach have been backing me,” he added.

Samson said head coach Gautam Gambhir had conveyed well in advance the decision to hand him the opener’s role during the Bangladesh series. “I think three weeks before this series, I was very fortunate to get a message from the leadership group — Gautambhai, Suryakumar (Yadav) and Abhishek Nair (assistant coach) — that I will be opening. I think that gave me a proper scope of preparation.

“I went back to Rajasthan Royals academy and I was playing a lot against new-ball bowlers, and I think that preparation helped me a tiny bit. I think I was just coming in 10 per cent more ready in this series than any other series,” he detailed.

Samson said the role clarity has also helped him to develop more awareness about his own game. “I have understood my game, that I can bat anywhere from (Nos.) 1 to 6. I think I have the power and I also have the timing in my game. So, it is all about working according to the role I am playing.”

This new-found self-discovery has made Samson more confident, both as a person and cricketer. “When you have those failures, I think, it is very easy to go back and say I will make runs in the next game. But I know what type of person I am.

“It is all about my friends, my team. So, I like to go out and fail or succeed in my way. I just want to be myself. It is all about knowing your game and knowing your character.”

Samson said he was trying to stay at the crease for as long as possible during Saturday’s game. “I felt if I came out of Powerplay, I could reach a good score. Hitting four consecutive boundaries (off Taskin Ahmed in the second over) gave me a lot of confidence,” he explained.

Written with PTI inputs