"I ran to the position" - When Sanju Samson recalled interesting dream featuring MS Dhoni

Team India wicketkeeper Sanju Samson recalled in 2020 how his dream of playing under legendary captain MS Dhoni came true in the most unbelievable manner. The now-30-year-old debuted for India in a T20I in Zimbabwe in 2015, but Dhoni was rested for the tour, with Ajinkya Rahane leading the side.

When Samson eventually returned to the Indian XI in 2020, the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain had retired from international cricket. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper had first shared a dressing room during India's 2014 tour of England, when he was part of the ODI squad.

In an interaction with CSK through Instagram in 2020, Samson said (via NDTV):

"After that (debut in 2015), I didn't play for India for five years. For those five years, I was dreaming of playing for India, I was literally dreaming. I had a dream that Mahi bhai is the captain of the team and he is changing fields. I was standing in slip and he said 'Sanju, wahan jaa (go there),' and I ran to the position."

He added:

"After a few days, we got the news that he has stepped down from captaincy. So, I was thinking how will that dream come true? I don't think that is going to happen. After a few weeks, we played a match in Mumbai, with India A against England, for which they asked him to captain. And I was standing in the slips and he said 'Sanju, udhar jaa', and I ran to position, so finally that dream happened."

Dhoni captained India to some of their biggest victories, including the 2007 and 2011 T20 and ODI World Cup titles. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson has played 58 combined white-ball games for India and has been a regular in their T20I setup over the past two years.

Sanju Samson likely to be released by RR ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Sanju Samson's association with RR could come to an end after 13 years, as per the latest reports from ESPN Cricinfo. The 30-year-old has requested the franchise to release him ahead of the 2026 auction.

Samson debuted for RR in 2013 and has been captaining the side since the 2021 season. Under him, they finished runners-up in 2022 and qualified for the playoffs in 2024.

CSK are among the few teams likely to go all out on acquiring Samson's services via trade. The stylish right-hander missed some of the 2025 IPL season due to injury, playing only nine out of the 14 games.

Sanju Samson has arguably been RR's best-ever batter with 4,704 runs at an average of almost 31 and a strike rate of 139.04 in 177 matches.

About the author

Venkatesh has been writing cricket news, listicle and feature articles for Sportskeeda for over a year. He loves cricket because of the diversity of the playing fields and its unparalleled nuances, which no other sport presents. He also enjoys the analytical and quantitative side of the sport, which originates from his MBA degree and 10 years of experience in the IT industry in companies like Infosys, Atos and TCS.

Venkatesh ensures proper research from reliable sources and social media trends to gather information, and adds his own dash of creativity to create insightful content.

He started watching cricket in the late 1990s, having been impressed with South Africa and New Zealand’s gentleman-like attitude. Domestically, he supports the Chennai Super Kings for their ability to bring the best out of their players owing to a friendly and conducive team environment.

He admires three cricketers the most – Brian Lara for his batting style, AB de Villiers for changing the paradigm of batting and MS Dhoni for his unique cerebral approach to field placings and batting. Along with cricket, Venkatesh also enjoys watching and playing tennis and basketball. In his free time, he finds pleasure in singing and watching movies and web series.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran