Indian Cricket Team player Sanju Samson has been named the Player of the Tournament of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Despite only playing five matches, Sanju scored 321 runs at an average of over 80 and a strike rate of a smidge below 200. He has now explained how his not being part of the playing XI in the 2024 T20 World Cup fueled his miraculous comeback in this tournament.
Since Rohit Sharma’s and Virat Kohli’s retirement following the 2024 tournament, Samson has been a consistent part of India’s T20 side. He has had his ups and downs but has shown immense potential over the past two years.
It seemed that, finally, after almost a decade of making his national team debut, the Kerala wicketkeeper/batter was becoming a permanent part of the national team setup.
However, in the T20I series against New Zealand weeks before the start of the World Cup, Sanu had a horrid time. Meanwhile, the incoming Ishan Kishan returned to the Indian Cricket Team in style.
Check Out: Sanju Samson On How Past Failures Fueled Him
Because of this, Kishan became India’s first-choice opener alongside Abhishek Sharma, and Sanju, for a second World Cup in a row, was destined to watch from the pavilion.
Samson played one group stage match against Namibia as Sharma missed out due to illness. In that match, the 31-year-old scored 22 runs.
Sanju was brought back into the side in place of Rinku Singh. Samson opened the batting alongside Abhishek, who was going through a rough patch. Ishan Kishan was pushed down to number three.
In his first game under this team combination against Zimbabwe, he scored a promising yet underwhelming 24.
Then came a must-win Super 8 game against the West. The winner of which game was to make it to the semifinals. In that match, the former Rajasthan Royals captain, while chasing a target nearing 200, put the team on his back, scored an unbeaten 97, and took India to a win and into the semi-final. He was named the Player of the Match for the performance.
Then, in the semis against England, Sanju scored 89 off 42, allowing India to score 253 runs in 20 overs. After the win, he was once again named the Player of the Match.
Finally, in the final against New Zealand, his 89 off 46 gave the team the platform so they could score over 250 runs for a second game in a row and thoroughly demolish New Zealand to win the World Cup.
Following the game, while Jasprit Bumrah was deservedly named the Player of the Match, Samson was named the Player of the Tournament.
Sanju Samson On How Past Failures Fueled Him
In the post-match conference, Sanju Samson opened up about how he dreamed of this day ever since the 2024 T20 World Cup.
“Feels like a dream, actually. Very, very happy, very grateful. Out of words, out of emotions. I’m just going through it, so it feels a bit surreal. To be very honest, I think, sir, it all started one to two years before. When I was with the 2024 World Cup-winning team in West Indies, I couldn’t play a game. I kept on visualizing. I kept on dreaming. I kept on working. This is exactly what I wanted to do then. I thought I need to work in, I need to put in so much of work that this is exactly what I wanted to achieve.”
Samson also discussed how, after he failed in the T20I series against New Zealand, his spirit was shattered –
“I think right after the New Zealand series, I was broke. I was completely out of my mind. I was like, okay, my dreams have shattered. Okay, what else can I do? But God had different plans. I think I suddenly came back into the crucial games, and I did what I could for my country.”
Finally, he discussed how Indian Cricket Team legend Sachin Tendulkar helped him get into the right state of mind –
“I have been in constant touch with Sachin Tendulkar sir. I think when I was outside, sitting outside in Australia, I was not playing a game. So, I thought about, okay, what is the mindset required now? So, I reached out to sir and I had huge, huge big conversations with him. And right yesterday also, he called me up to check how I’m feeling.”
Sanju Samson has been an international cricketer for over a decade now. But it is only now, 11 years into his national team career, that it feels that he has finally made his place in the side.
Check Out: Sanju Samson On How Past Failures Fueled Him
Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.
