Sanju Samson won the Player of the Tournament award for his 321 runs in five games
Sanju Samson had an amazing redemption in the T20 World Cup 2026 as he finished as the highest run-getter for the Indian team despite playing only five games. Benched in favor of Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan for the initial phase of the tournament, Samson was included in the XI after the loss to South Africa in the Super 8s.
Samson went on a rampage in the last three games of the tournament, hammering 97* against the West Indies in a virtual quarterfinal and two scores of 89 each against England in the semis and then against New Zealand in the final.
He ended up as the Player of the Tournament for his 321 runs with a strike rate of 199.37 as India won the T20 World Cup 2026 and became the first team to win the trophy three times, the first to successfully defend their title, and the first home team to win it as hosts.
During a recent interview, India captain Suryakumar Yadav opened up about Samson's spectacular comeback and disclosed a chat they had while the latter was not on the team.
“Sanju came with a lot going for him—a keeper who can bat at the top. I remember he came to me once and asked, 'Just tell me what you want from me in this team.' We said, "We want the same Sanju Samson we've seen tear attacks apart." And then he told the whole team, we will keep playing what the team wants before what we want. Only then will we achieve something special,” Suryakumar told The Indian Express.
“When he was not playing, I told him: This is a difficult phase, but you have to take it in stride. If God has written something for you, you will get it. He was preparing himself—if the opportunity comes, grab it, and the whole world will witness it,” he added.
Suryakumar also mentioned how the team management resorted to all-rounder Hardik Pandya to inspire and encourage the players ahead of major games. Surya and Hardik held a lengthy chat with the batters after the loss against South Africa, which proved to be a turning moment in their campaign.
“When we were in the Asia Cup, I told Hardik: you are the most experienced big-match player in this group; share that with the others—talk to them about how to play in big games,” said Suryakumar.
“Then after the South Africa game, something shifted. Hardik and I sat down with the entire batting unit and had a long conversation about how we needed to bat going forward — what the identity of this team actually was. After tha,t our tide changed. Bumrah doesn't need to be told anything — he knows how to work with the bowling unit. Whenever there's a pressure situation, he comes running and talks to the players. I saw that as his best quality. Axar is the same,” Surya concluded.
The Indian team’s next assignment will be a short home series against Afghanistan featuring one Test and three ODIs.