There is a poetic justice that the cricketing gods have delivered to Sanju Samson.
In and out of the team for almost a decade. Then, finally securing his place in the side, only to first lose it to the selectors’ choice before losing it altogether.
Being on the bench for four of India’s first five matches in this tournament, the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Recalled to the XI because of Rinku Singh’s family tragedy and for a tactical reason as India looked to add a right-hander in the top order.
But what Samson did in his last three innings of the tournament – all either virtual knockout or knockout matches – has gone down in the folklore of Indian cricket.
It’s quite sensational that the best time for Samson to fulfill all his potential and showcase his talent came at a time when India needed it the most, something former captain Virat Kohli alluded to in his praiseful Instagram post for “Chetta” Samson after India listed their third men’s ICC T20 World Cup trophy.
On Sunday night in Ahmedabad, India buried the ill-fated cricketing ghosts of the Narendra Modi Stadium by beating New Zealand in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Samson top scored in the match with 89 runs off 46 balls, a sizzling knock that included five fours and eight sixes. His presence at the crease allowed Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan to blast half-centuries at strike rates of over 200.
Samson formed an opening stand of 98 (43) with Abhishek and 105 (48) with Kishan, setting up India for a total near 250. The Kiwis fell 96 runs short of India’s total, losing yet another ICC men’s white-ball tournament final.
Sanju Samson wins POTT award; Virat Kohli on Sanju Samson, posts special Instagram story:
Despite playing only five out of India’s nine matches in the tournament, Samson finished as the third-highest run-scorer of the T20 World Cup 2026 and India’s highest. He scored 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80 and a strike rate of 199, hitting three consecutive fifties, falling short of a century in all three innings by a small margin.
Against the West Indies in a virtual quarter-final, in a high-pressure run chase, Samson made a splendid 97*, which many say was his best T20I knock, even better than the twin scores of 89 he made in the semi-final against England and in the final against New Zealand.
Who hit the most sixes in T20 World Cup 2026?
Player of the Tournament award winner, Sanju Samson smashed the most sixes in the T20 World Cup 2026 – 24 sixes.
Virat Kohli posted a special Instagram story to hail Samson’s achievements in the competition, wherein he lauded the opener for stepping up in all three crucial games.
Virat Kohli on Sanju Samson, wrote, “What a remarkable tournament from the most well deserved man of the tournament @imsanjusamson. You performed when it mattered the most. Really happy for you chetta.”
For the unversed, Samson was part of the India squad that won the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados, but he was on the bench throughout the tournament as Rishabh Pant was favored for the middle-order-batsman-keeper role.
Upon bagging his POTT award, Samson said, “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.”
Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.
