Sanju Samson hammered 97* in 50 balls to help India defeat West Indies.
Former BCCI president and India captain Sourav Ganguly praised Sanju Samson for his stunning knock, which helped India reach the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals. Samson stayed unbeaten on 97 from 50 balls as India prevailed by five wickets against the West Indies in Kolkata on March 1.
Samson has been in and out of the T20I squad in recent times, but India opted to bring him in for the must-win match against Zimbabwe in Chennai, where he hit 24 off 15 balls to help India create a decent platform.
In the encounter on Sunday, the wicketkeeper handled the 196-run target run chase admirably and stayed till the end to help the hosts cross the finish line. This spurred Ganguly to remark that he should play for the white-ball teams.
Samson has the ability to hurt the opponent once he gets set and plays according to the circumstances on Sunday, according to the former Indian captain.
"Outstanding. He's a very good player. He should consistently play for India in the white ball. You know, when he gets in, he'll hurt the opposition. He played to the situation, which is important," Ganguly told ANI.
Ganguly also commended Samson's fortitude in ignoring his detractors and resigning.
“What it teaches all of us is that the same boy could not find in the last six months, could not find his place in the team; either there was Ishan Kishan opening or somebody else coming in. Just before the World Cup, I used to go through media headlines that said, "Sanju fails again; he should not deserve a place in the side. India has so much talent; why is Shubman Gill not in the side?" And yet here is a boy in a quarterfinal game who gets 97 and takes you to the semifinal,” said Ganguly.
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#WATCH | Kolkata: On Sanju Samson's performance in yesterday's match in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Former captain of the Indian cricket team Sourav Ganguly says, "He's a very good player. He should consistently play for India in the white ball... He is that sort of player; when… pic.twitter.com/Zlkz1lHhpi
— ANI (@ANI) March 2, 2026