A primarily middle-order batter who was expected to be the next big thing in Indian cricket but failed to latch on to the chances before a move to the top of the order changed his fortunes.
Rohit Sharma of 2013, meet Sanju Samson of 2024.
It was before the first game of the 2013 Champions Trophy when Rohit was asked to open the innings. He had opened the batting a few times before in T20Is and ODIs, but it was that push in 2013 that gave his middling career a second wind and he became India's permanent opener across formats. So critical was that move to the top that Rohit in a press conference in 2018 even told the media to forget whatever had happened in his career before 2013 and ask only about after 2013.
Although the format is different, Samson could well be saying the same about 2024.
Samson, in the 30 T20I innings since his debut nine years back, has batted in every position in the top seven at least once. While he's not done himself any favours with his inconsistency, not having a set batting number in the XI hasn't helped either.
That changed ahead of the T20I series against Bangladesh in early October. With Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill rested, Samson was promoted to open the batting in the series. More importantly, it was a chance to revive his India career just like Rohit did all those years back.
Though not an entirely new position for Samson, it had been a while since he opened in a T20 game. He began the Bangladesh series with two lukewarm performances before flicking a switch and walloping a 47-ball 111 in the final T20I in Hyderabad. On Friday, he showed signs of making the position his own by becoming the first Indian batter - and fourth overall - to smash successive T20I centuries, with a 50-ball 107 in the opening T20I against South Africa in Durban.
It was a classic Samson innings, the kind he has shown glimpses of in the IPL - start sedately, gauge the nature of the surface, get a few boundaries in before running the opposition ragged. He went at a strike rate of 100 in his first six balls. Then came a Keshav Maharaj over, the third of the innings, and he went four and six to give his innings the impetus before giving Marco Jansen the same treatment. By the time the powerplay ended, Samson had raced to 35 off 20 with three fours and three sixes, but it was what he did after the powerplay that stood out.
Intent has been an over-used term in the Indian T20I dictionary of late. Samson made sure to walk the talk, picking up 72 runs off just 30 balls in the middle overs (seven to 16). While his first fifty took 27 balls, his next set took just 20 as he brought up a century off 47 balls, the fastest for an India batter against South Africa.
The highlight of Samson's knock was the use of his crease against spinners. He went right back at times, converting the good-length balls into short as he peppered the on side, and whenever he saw the ball flighted, he ran down the track, reached the pitch and went downtown in the V.
The pull (coincidence much?) was Samson's most productive shot of the day as he collected 43 runs through the deep-midwicket region alone. In all, Samson smashed the spinners for 58 runs off 27 balls, while the fast bowlers went for 49 off 23. By the time he fell, India were well on course for a 200-plus total.
Few players have divided opinions like Samson has over the years. When in flow, he makes batting look ridiculously simple, like he did on Friday. He hit ten sixes during his knock, but there wasn't a shot played in anger. But his career has had more misses than hits. He made his India debut in 2015 but did not get another game for five years. In between, he scored decent runs for Kerala and in the IPL for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and Rajasthan Royals and was even handed the Royals captaincy in 2021, but the India appearances remained few and far between. Even when they did come, Samson failed to create much impact, which he admits led to plenty of self-doubt.
"In my career, I have had more failures than success," Samson said after the game. "When you go through those failures, you start doubting yourself. People obviously say things, social media definitely plays its role, and then you also start thinking about it.
"'Sanju, are you not made for international level? You are doing well in the IPL, why is it not happening in international [cricket]?' But after so many years of experience, I know my abilities. If I spend some time in the middle, I know I have the shot-making abilities against spin and pace. And I know I can contribute to the team's success and help them win a match.
"I kept telling myself, 'No, it's not like that. This is also a reality. There are lots of downs happening, but the upside is also really good.'"
Samson also heaped praise on captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir, particularly the way they communicated with him after his back-to-back ducks against Sri Lanka in July.
"Communication during the time of failure is also very important," Samson said. "A player can get lost during his negative phase.
"During that time [after the ducks against Sri Lanka], I received a lot of phone calls from Gautam bhai and Surya, telling me what to work on. They said, 'Your game against spin is looking dicey, so gather the spinners in Kerala and practise on the rough wickets.'
"If the captain of the Indian team is calling and telling you how to practise after two ducks, then you know that the captain is confident about you and he wants you to do well. All those small things play a huge role. I am very grateful for the trust shown in me. I think I have been able to give it back to my team management."
Samson has potentially three more chances in this series, and if he can continue his form, the selectors might have a fresh headache when picking a full-strength T20I squad. Gill and Jaiswal are the incumbents, while Abhishek Sharma is also around, but if Samson manages to resurrect his India career as an opener, in a way it will be poetic that he does it in the spot vacated by Rohit.