Player of the Tournament in India’s recent T20 World Cup 2026 win, Sanju Samson, has broken his silence on his relationship with India head coach Gautam Gambhir. Samson, who scored 321 runs in five games in the T20 World Cup, with three fifties, stated that he and Gambhir go a long way back.

Samson stated that their friendship extends far beyond this tournament, dating back to his KKR days and common Delhi cricket links, making their success feel both personal and professional.

“Gauti bhai and I have a very old relationship. I think I met him when I was in KKR. He was the captain of the team, and he also lives in Delhi. I also played in the same academy where he was…so it’s a very long relationship, and what has happened from there till now, I think, cannot be expressed in words,” Samson was quoted as saying by ANI.

Samson had hit 27 fours and 24 sixes at a strike rate of 199.37 and ended as the third-highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup.

The 31-year-old wicketkeeper-batter also revealed that he got a message from the legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

"I got a message from Sachin, sir. It was a very emotional message for me," said Samson.

For Samson, it would have meant much more because the batter disclosed that Sachin assisted him while he was struggling before the competition.

Samson staged a return for the ages during the recently concluded T20 World Cup, overcoming inconsistency and benching to finish as India's leading run-getter in the competition, delivering crucial performances in knockout matches.

Samson stated that he has always tried to be himself and has always viewed cricket as a team sport.

“I never wanted to be selfless. I have always wanted to be myself. So, I bring a lot of different qualities, a lot of strengths, a lot of weaknesses. I like to look at cricket as a team sport. So, I think we play to win. And looking at what things have happened in my life lately, I definitely carry a lot of dreams with me. So a lot of youngsters, a lot of people, not even in cricket, a lot of people in different careers, they look at me like their own careers, like their own life,” Samson concluded.

(ANI inputs)