Former Pakistani players Umar Gul and Mohammad Hafeez praise India batter Sanju Samson for his brilliant knock in helping the Men in Blue defeat West Indies in the T20 World Cup 2026 and qualify for the semi-finals.
Chasing 196 to win, Sanju Samson played a brilliant knock of 97 not out with 12 fours and 4 sixes as other batters played around him. India won the game by 5 wickets and will now clash with England in the second semi-final in Mumbai on March 5.
As they praised India for its cricketing talent and system, the Pakistani pair also appeared to be making fun of their team's players.
Hafeez, who played 392 games for Pakistan between 2003 and 2021, seemed to be making fun of his own side when he praised Samson for playing for his team rather than attempting to reach a milestone.
“Only those teams grow who have honest players. Sanju never tried to tell me that my century is everything for me. For him, winning the game was everything. The way he played, we never saw any greed for milestones in his innings.
Other players in the Indian team never moved away from the cause of winning, thinking that they can outshine Sanju. So, this is about intellectual honesty. It's not only about 3 or 4 individuals but the team as a whole trying to get to a cause,” the former Pakistan all-rounder said on Pakistani YouTube channel Tapmad.
Gul, a former bowler for Pakistan, commended Samson for his composed demeanor and assurance during the chase. He also explained why he believed Pakistani players were unable to play in the same way, comparing the experience they get in PSL with that of Indian players in IPL.
“PSL is also now 10 years old. Why are our players not playing with the same confidence? It is just because even though PSL has good local talent, the top international talent is going to the IPL. That is a big difference, according to me. When you get that kind of exposure against those players, you definitely improve.
Samson was so relaxed and composed. It never looked like he was chasing 200. He had belief in himself and was relying on proper cricketing shots,” said Gul, on the same show.
????UMAR GUL ADMITS IPL IS SUPERIOR TO PSL AFTER SANJU SAMSON'S MATCH WINNING KNOCK AGAINST WI
— Brutal Truth (@sarkarstix) March 1, 2026
"IPL has played a great role in shaping what Sanju is today. PSL is also 10 years old but our boys do not perform like Sanju did. The difference is foreign players choose IPL over PSL." pic.twitter.com/6s8lD9XEyC
