India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson opened up about the special reception he experienced at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, which has now become his home ground in the IPL following his move to Chennai Super Kings. The 29-year-old recently played at the venue during India’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup fixture against Zimbabwe and spoke about the strong emotional connect he felt with the Chennai crowd and the responsibility that comes with their backing. Samson revealed that the affection was visible from the moment he landed in the city, pointing to the cultural closeness between Chennai and his native Kerala. “After the trade, this is the first time I’m coming to Chennai. Right from the airport, I can feel the special love. Normally, we do come to Kerala and Chennai is very close, we do often come here, and I do feel that energy here. Fortunate to be a part of such a great and passionate fans here in Chennai,” Sanju said in a video shared by bcci.tv on Saturday. Known for his stylish strokeplay, the right-hander admitted that performing in front of such an enthusiastic fanbase brings not only happiness but also a deeper sense of duty. “Really happy to go out there and entertain them in this way. I’m happy. More than just happiness, there’s also a little extra responsibility. When everyone comes to cheer for you, I think there’s an extra added responsibility to actually entertain them. So yeah, I’m very happy. Yes, we’ll meet soon,” he said in Tamil. On the field, Samson gave India early momentum against Zimbabwe with a quickfire 24 from 15 balls in the powerplay. Opening the batting, he set the tone with a straight six off Richard Ngarava and soon followed it with a pull shot for another maximum off Blessing Muzarabani. He also struck a fluent cut for four and rotated the strike smartly, helping India race to 46 without loss inside three overs. His cameo came to an end when he mistimed a slower short delivery from Muzarabani and was caught at deep mid-wicket, cutting short what looked like a promising innings.
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