Sanju Samson

Sanju Viswanath Samson ( born 11 November 1994) is an Indian international cricketer, who plays for Kerala in domestic cricket and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.

Samson was born on 11 November 1994 into a Malayali Christian family in Pulluvila, a coastal village near Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala.

His father, Samson Viswanath, was formerly a police constable at Delhi Police and a retired football player who has represented Delhi in Santhosh Trophy and his mother, Ligy Viswanath is a housewife.

His elder brother Saly Samson has represented Kerala in Junior cricket and currently works in the AG's office.

Samson spent his early childhood in the Police residential colony in North Delhi neighbourhood of GTB Nagar and studied at Rosary Senior Secondary School,

Delhi.

He trained under coach Yashpal at the academy in DL DAV Model School, Shalimar Bagh.

When Sanju didn't make it into the Delhi U-13 team for Dhruv Pandove Trophy, his father took voluntary retirement from the Delhi police force; a year after he retired from football and moved to Kerala, where Sanju and his brother continued their cricketing careers.

In Kerala, he attended Masters Cricket Club in Thiruvananthapuram before changing academies to train under Biju George on Medical College Ground, Thiruvananthapuram.

Sanju Samson graduated high school from St. Joseph's Higher Secondary School, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

He pursued a B.A. degree in English literature from Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram.

Apart from cricket, his childhood aspiration was to become an IPS officer.

Samson was a member of the U-13 cricket team of Kerala in 2007.

In the KSCA Inter-State under-13 tournament, he captained Kerala and bagged the player of the tournament award scoring 973 runs, including four centuries in five matches at an average of 108.11.

As a member of Kerala U-16 team for the 2008–09 Vijay Merchant Trophy, he scored a double century off 138 balls against Goa and finished the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer with 498 runs including two centuries and two fifties.

He was also the captain of Kerala in U-16 and U-19 levels.

A double-century in the 2008-09 Vijay Merchant Trophy paved way to the Kerala squad for the 2009–10 Ranji Trophy.

Then aged 14, he was the youngest Kerala cricketer to be selected to play in Ranji Trophy.

He was named in the Kerala squad for the 2009–10 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy the same year.

His performance in the 2010-11 Cooch Behar Trophy earned him a spot in the India U-19 team that played the 2012 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup held in Malaysia in June 2012.

After making an impact in junior cricket, he made his first-class debut for Kerala in 2011.

He made his first-class debut for the side in the 2011–12 Ranji Trophy on 3 November 2011 against Vidarbha and Twenty20 debut on 16 October 2011 against Hyderabad in the 2011–12 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

His dismal show in the tournament meant that he failed to get selected to India's squad for the 2012 Under-19 Cricket World Cup that followed.

He was named in the Kerala squad for playing the 2011-12 Vijay Hazare Trophy and made his List-A debut on 23 February 2012 against Andhra Pradesh in the season.

He scored moderately in the 2012–13 Vijay Hazare Trophy in which Kerala featured in the semi-finals.

He scored his maiden first-class century against Himachal Pradesh in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy, as he scored 127 runs off 207 balls.

He made his Premier League debut in 2013 for Rajasthan Royals and won the Emerging Player of the Year. He scored an unbeaten 212 in the 2019–20 Vijay Hazare Trophy, the sixth time an Indian scored a double-century in List A cricket, which is also the second-fastest double-century in the format.

Sanju scored his debut ODI century in the 3rd ODI in the three-match series against South Africa on 21st December 2023.

He was named vice-captain of India U-19 team for the 2013 Top End Under-19 Series in Australia in June 2013.

He scored two half-centuries in India U-19's Youth Test series against Sri Lanka held from July to August 2013.

In the 2013 ACC Under 19 Asia cup in UAE, he scored a century in the final against Pakistan, helping India retain the cup.

He was also India's vice-captain in the tournament.

He was Kerala's highest run-getter in 2013-14 Ranji Trophy season scoring 530 runs at an average of 58.88.

In his first match of the 2013–14 season against Assam he scored a career-best 211 to bring up his first double century in Ranji Trophy.

A right-handed wicket-keeper-batter, he was the vice-captain of the Indian U-19 team for the 2014 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

In January 2014, BCCI appointed Sanju as vice-captain of team India for the 2014 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

He was the top run-scorer for India in the tournament with a highest score of 85 runs from 45 balls against Papua New Guinea.

He made his India debut in the 2015 T20 international away against Zimbabwe.

He made his One Day International debut in 2021 against Sri Lanka.

Sanju started his cricketing career in Delhi and later moved to Kerala.