Sanju Samson: Needing Bowman's Coaching and Phelps' Attitude for International Glory
His NZ Series failures prove he's poor at self-directed growth—time for radical change to claim his international due.
KARM
2/4/20261 min read
Sanju Samson, India's explosive wicketkeeper-batsman, embodies untapped potential in Indian cricket. His international career remains a frustrating footnote— mere 3 T20I centuries and 3 half centuries in 49 matches, averaging just 24.00 in T20Is. His dismal New Zealand T20I series in January 2026 epitomizes this: scores of 10, 6, 0, 24 and 6 across five innings, dismissed by poor shot selection and tentativeness against pace. These failures aren't mere bad form; they spotlight a deeper issue—Samson's deficiency in elite-level learning and observation. To unlock stardom, he desperately needed a coach like Bob Bowman, Michael Phelps' legendary mentor, paired with Phelps' unyielding attitude.
Bob Bowman transformed Phelps into a 23-gold-medal swimming titan through ruthless observation and adaptation. Bowman dissected opponents' tendencies, filmed sessions obsessively, and drilled Phelps on micro-adjustments—like perfecting flip turns under fatigue. In cricket's high-stakes T20 arena, Samson lacks such forensic coaching. Indian setups prioritize volume over precision; Rahul Dravid's regime emphasized process, but Samson needed Bowman's hawk-eyed tweaks.
Yet Samson played across the line, edging to slips, revealing zero adaptation. Bowman would have replayed those deliveries frame-by-frame, enforcing drills for seam movement observation, much like he made Phelps simulate race-end sprints daily.
Compounding this is Samson's missing Phelps-like attitude: relentless self-belief fused with obsessive preparation. Phelps visualized every stroke, studied rivals' weaknesses, and embraced failure as data. His mantra? "Dream big, work hard."
Samson was selected as a wicketkeeper-batter and opener alongside Abhishek Sharma, with Ishan Kishan as the other keeper. He reacted positively on social media, posting "Colours will not fade, definitely!!!" after the announcement.
But Now If he honestly ask to himself then he'll realise "Colours will fade, definitely!!!".
Imo Player like Sanju Samson deserved a coach like Bob Bowman and attitude like Michael Phelps in order to succeed in international cricket.
“I can only control my performance. If I do my best, then I can feel good at the end of the day”
Michael Phelps
