Sanju Samson turned in two match-winning performances at crucial moments to emerge as one of India’s greatest heroes in the 2026 T20 World Cup. The wicketkeeper-batsman made his debut with the bat in a must-win Super 8 match against West Indies, knocking an unbeaten 97 to lead India home. He then made another important contribution in the semi-final against the England cricket team, scoring 89 runs to help India secure a spot in the final.
After Samson beat West Indies, the International Cricket Council took to social media to share a touching moment in which Rohit Sharma encouraged the Kerala batsmen earlier in the match. The video shows Rohit giving the assurance ahead of India’s opener against the USC, a match in which Samson is not in the starting XI.
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“Dukhi mat ho bhai. It’s a long tournament, kabhi bhi mauka aa sakta hai. (“Don’t lose heart. It’s a long tournament. You will get your chance. Opportunities will come anytime),” Rohit told Samson while hugging him.
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Samson was not included in the starting XI for the Indian team after a poor performance in the five-match T20I series against the New Zealand national cricket team before the World Cup. However, the 31-year-old finally got his chance in the group stages against the Namibia national cricket team when Abhishek Sharma was ruled out with a stomach infection. After Abhishek recovers, Samson once again finds himself out of trouble.
He returned at the start of the Super 8 session when the team management decided to shake up the opening combination after troubled spinners Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan on several occasions. Since regaining his place, Samson has seized the opportunity with both hands and is now one of the leading contenders for the tournament’s player of the match award.
Ahead of the final against the New Zealand national cricket team at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Rohit, who serves as the tournament’s brand ambassador, explained why he felt the need to speak to Samson ahead of the event. Drawing from his own experience of missing out on the 2011 World Cup squad, Rohit said he understands the emotional challenge that awaits on the sidelines.
“I can feel the pulse of the players sometimes. I have been in situations like this myself, you know, when I play games like this and my chances haven’t come yet, it’s important to stay focused and try to do the right things and not get frustrated because I don’t get the chance and that’s how I feel about him,” Rohit said in a video shared by the ICC on Instagram.
Interestingly, Samson was also part of India’s winning team at the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, but he did not get a single in that tournament. This time, however, he has made a major impact and is currently India’s third-highest run-scorer at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, behind only Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav.
Rohit admitted that he felt for Samson’s disappointment at the start of the match and wanted to ensure that the batsmen were mentally prepared when the opportunity finally came.
“Because he had been playing for India and then he was dropped before the World Cup started, you know, I just wanted to tell him that it’s a long game and some interesting things have happened in the past, so I just wanted to reassure him that your opportunities will come. So it happened in the middle of the game and it was a crucial game for India and he played a dazzling game,” Rohit said.
Samson has been great in the tournament so far. He averaged 77.33 points per game and had a field goal percentage of 201.73. The wicketkeeper-batsman has already won two Man of the Match awards and has been shortlisted for Player of the Tournament.
