IND vs NZ | One wait ends, another begins: Sanju Samson in spotlight on his homecoming as India face New Zealand in series finale

Sanju Samson

The first perch of Sanju Samson on the piece of real estate that he knows like his backyard was a heavy roller adjacent to the nets. He sat with the laid-back authority of a local don, with his legs crossed and flashing a mild grin, soaking in the ambience, perhaps feeling the familiar air again. Support staff members would pass by, casually enquiring him about something or the other. Perhaps about his homecoming, or gleaning local expertise about the pitch or the outfield.

In the groundsman’s dungeon beside the sight-screen, pitch predictions were dismissed in one metaphor some hours ago. “It’s shining like a mirror,” a groundsman was overheard telling the other. The face they would love to see in the mirror, understandably, is that of Sanju. He is a familiar face for all, yet it’s the first time that they would see him in India’s stripes, a symbolic moment for the city, its most illustrious sportsman and the feverish fans, who would flock from the whole state. His lone appearance at Greenfield has come as a substitute fielder in a T20I against the West Indies in 2019. It’s a tale of wait within waits.