From batting at the nets to give the bowlers practice, to being the man who navigated a tricky chase to take the team to the T20 World Cup semi-finals, Sanju Samson has scripted a comeback story that's fascinating to say the least.

Samson had a lengthy session with the bat at nets in India’s training sessions in Ahmedabad ahead of their Super Eight clash against South Africa. But he didn't play that game. “The fact is, in Ahmedabad, he (Sanju) wasn’t supposed to bat. And this is true. But Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) told me, ‘Kotakbhai, tell Sanju to bat because our bowlers need to bowl at right-handers.’ That’s why he batted,” India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak revealed following the five-wicket win over the West Indies at Eden Gardens on Sunday, a victory led by Samson’s brilliant unbeaten 97.

Samson would have had to wait longer for his return to the XI had India not lost that game against the Proteas. But for the keeper-batter, the road to revival was already underway in those practice sessions. Or, to be more specific, during the one-on-one sessions he had with well-known coach Zubin Bharucha in Thiruvananthapuram before the home T20Is against New Zealand earlier in January.

“We worked during mid-January for close to a week,” Bharucha, who has worked with several international cricketers, told The Telegraph on Monday.

“Sanju's disturbances were all mental. Learning to get comfortable about what every Indian player now confronts — the uncertainty of their position in the team — is the biggest hurdle before him and many others who play for the country.

“From a technical perspective, it was to double down on how to maximise the use of all his natural resources, like his incredible back-lift, his back and back-initial movement to open up the off-side and be in a neutral position from which he could access both sides of the ground. He was in superlative form coming out of the camp and something special looked imminent,” Bharucha explained.

Samson didn’t have instant results following that camp. But when India needed him to step up in what was a virtual quarter-final against a relatively tough opposition, Samson played like a man possessed.

What was also important was a calm head on his shoulders, which kept him away from loose strokes in his 50-ball innings. “I’'ve been playing in this format for many years and learnt from a lot of greats like (Virat) Kohli, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni. That helped with my experience.

“I've noticed how the greats play, and seeing how they change their game according to situations,” Samson stated.

For Team India, Samson’s brief but brisk knock of 24 off 15 balls in his comeback game against Zimbabwe in Chennai was a hint of him regaining his rhythm. “People will keep looking at his scores and stuff, but then coming back into the team and playing that kind of innings of 23-24 must have given Sanju a lot of confidence, especially after the guy had a tough series against New Zealand," head coach Gautam Gambhir emphasised.

"It was important to give him a break as well, because you want to get the guy off that pressure situation. And we always knew that whenever we needed him in the World Cup game, he'd come and deliver for us. And he did exactly so against Zimbabwe. We got a start that we wanted in the first three overs.

"And today (Sunday), again, from where he left against Zimbabwe, he showcased his talent. This is what we expect from Sanju to do more consistently."

Spin slayer

Despite his high back-lift, Samson kept his bat slightly lower and didn’t raise it much when dealing with Windies spinners Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase. That went a long way in negating the visitors’ spin trio, who finished with just one wicket off their cumulative six overs.

Talking about Samson’s initial trigger movement, batting coach Kotak elaborated: “Yes, we did work on it a little and we were just trying to create a better base for him. He also felt he was getting ready a little early, which helped him get better. If you try to hit a ball with equal weight on both legs, your base is created and your hands move faster. That’s something Sanju did, as this is just one thing we talked about and he felt he should go ahead with it.”