India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson bagged the CEAT men’s T20I batter of the year award on Tuesday (October 7) in Mumbai.

Samson had an incredible last 12 months with the bat, after being elevated to open the innings in the Bangladesh series. He slammed three centuries in just 12 innings at the top of the order, and amassed 417 runs at an average of 37.90 and a blistering strike rate of 183.70.

Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma had established themselves as a formidable opening pair. However, Shubman Gill’s return to the T20I fold as vice-captain led to Sanju’s batting position getting shifted to middle-order during the recently held Asia Cup in the UAE.

Speaking at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards, Samson dedicated the award to his wife -- Charulatha.

“I would like to dedicate this award to my wife Charu, who is equally travelling the same journey as me. I would like to appreciate myself too. Someone like me who kept working silently, patiently and kept putting in the work mentally and physically with all the challenges and obstacles in front of me. But always focused on the process and always focused on my inner-self instead of focusing on the outside noises. And after a long wait of 10 years, when I got the opportunity, I was able to score three match-winning centuries in the gap of five T20 international matches,” said Samson.

Reflecting on his recent move down the batting order, Samson said he’s willing to do any job for the Indian team even if they demand bowling left-arm spin or batting at No. 9.

“When you wear that Indian jersey, you can't say no to anything. I have really worked very hard to wear that jersey, and more importantly, to stay in that dressing room. I take a lot of pride in doing a job for my country. So even if they want to bat me at number 9, maybe ball some left arm spin, I think I'm happy to do that as well. So whatever job for the country, I think I don't mind,” he added.

Despite being shifted down the order in the Asia Cup 2025, Samson had a decent outing in the continental event, scoring 132 runs from four innings at an average of 33 and a strike rate of 124.52 with one half century to his name.

Samson will next feature in the five-match T20I series against Australia, slated to begin on October 29 in Canberra.