Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has told Sanju Samson that he must prioritise fitness if he wants to sustain his current standards for the next phase of his career. While praising Samson’s rapid rise in recent seasons, Manjrekar said the Kerala batter is not currently “in peak physical condition,” and urged him to take cues from Virat Kohli’s approach to longevity.
Key takeaways
- Manjrekar believes Sanju Samson needs to improve his fitness levels to remain at his best.
- He pointed to Virat Kohli as an example of how fitness can help extend a high-performing career.
- Manjrekar also linked Suryakumar Yadav’s T20 struggles to fitness rather than ability.
- Samson struck an unbeaten 87 as Chennai Super Kings chased a 156-run target against Delhi Capitals.
- With the knock, Samson moved into the top five of the Orange Cap standings, reaching 402 runs from 10 matches.
Manjrekar’s fitness message for Samson and India’s T20 leaders
Speaking on Sportstar’s Insight Edge Podcast, Manjrekar focused on how fitness is the one area players can consistently control, especially in a format that keeps evolving. He said Samson, despite his achievements, is not a “25-year-old” anymore and therefore must work harder to maintain the level he has already reached.
Manjrekar explained that Samson’s current physical condition is not at the standard required to sustain peak output. He then extended the same reasoning to India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain, advising that the same fitness discipline should help stabilise performance over time.
As part of his wider point, Manjrekar discussed Suryakumar Yadav and suggested that the batter’s dip in T20s can be traced to him not being in the best physical shape. From there, he turned his attention back to Samson, encouraging him to follow Kohli’s example and adopt a similar fitness-first blueprint.
“I’m saying that about Sanju Samson as well, who’s also not a 25-year-old because he’s hit the peak of his achievements, just to sustain it,” Manjrekar said. He added that Samson could take a similar route because, in his view, the batter is also not currently operating in peak physical condition.
Manjrekar underlined Kohli’s long career as the proof of concept, noting that while skills are vital, fitness is what keeps the body from breaking down. He stressed that Kohli’s focus on conditioning has allowed him to keep going for years, and that same kind of controllable discipline can benefit other players.
Samson’s unbeaten 87 powers CSK in chase vs Delhi
Manjrekar’s comments came as Samson delivered another impact performance for Chennai Super Kings. Against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday night, the CSK batter helped steer the franchise through a 156-run chase with an unbeaten 87.
Samson’s knock came in a winning cause as the five-time champions secured an eight-wicket victory. With this innings, Samson also climbed into the top five of the Orange Cap leaderboard, bringing his season tally to 402 runs from 10 matches.
Earlier in the match, Delhi Capitals batted first and finished on 155/7 after 20 overs. For CSK, Noor Ahmad was the standout bowler, taking two wickets to keep the visitors in check.
In reply, CSK hunted down the target with eight wickets in hand and 15 balls remaining. Samson and Kartik Sharma formed the backbone of the chase, stitching together an unbeaten partnership worth 114 runs off 66 deliveries. Kartik finished not out on 41 from 31 balls as CSK collected their fifth win of the season.
