Sanju Samson announces scholarship for 1,000 IAS aspirants

The Indian wicket-keeper batter, who played a crucial role in India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign in 2026, has dealt with oscillating momentum in his international career. He tapped into his experiences when speaking to students at the summit about the need for mentorship, leadership and growth. | Photo Credit: Sanju Samson/IG

Sanju Samson has announced scholarships for 1,000 IAS aspirants, an initiative which will be undertaken by the Sanju Samson Foundation in association with Lead IAS Academy, a civil services training institute based in Thiruvananthapuram.

The initiative aims to ensure that financial limitations do not stand in the way of a student’s Civil Services dream and was announced at the Lead India Summit organised by the academy .

Special consideration will be given to students from Vizhinjam, Sanju’s hometown, and the nearby coastal areas.

The Indian wicket-keeper batter, who played a crucial role in India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign in 2026, has dealt with oscillating momentum in his international career. He tapped into his experiences when speaking to students at the summit about the need for mentorship, leadership and growth.

“Despite needing to be at practice at 6am, I have overslept till 7. I have made mistakes. Making mistakes isn’t the problem. Repeating the same thing over and over again is. To err is human, but what’s in our hands is how many times we repeat. You need to be honest with yourself,” Sanju said.

“It’s very human to relax, it’s very human to be distracted but it’s important to come back soon.”

“When you’re falling down, you feel you need to grow. The starting point is always accepting that you’re down.”

“I have stepped out in Trivandrum to bat with the crowds shouting, “Sanju, we want 100” and then come back out for a duck. If I have to come back from those failures, it is hard. So when you fall down, allow yourself some time to fall and accept that failure. That gives you the strength to come back. “

He credited Rahul Dravid for his role in his career and in dealing with setbacks well, underlining the need for high-quality mentors in one’s journey.

“It’s important to have good people around you. It might be your friends, parents or mentors. I’ve been lucky to have the greatest mentor a cricketer could dream of. Rahul sir, Sachin sir and now Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) at Chennai Super Kings. My dad was my mentor growing up.”

“After so much practice, why am I not able to score - I got the answer to this question from Rahul Dravid for which I am very blessed. If that answer didn’t have his quality, I don’t think it would have aided my growth like it eventually did. When you have doubts or questions, it’s important to have a good mentor or guru around so the answers will lift you up.”