India’s T20 World Cup 2024 winning captain Rohit Sharma had met with the Men in Blue side ahead of their first game of the T20 World Cup 2026 tournament against the USA on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
During the meetup, Rohit also met Sanju Samson and gave him a powerful message that has gone viral since his exploits on March 1 against the West Indies.
Samson hammered 97* in 50 balls with 12 fours and 4 sixes as he carried India’s chase of a 196-run target in a must-win Super 8s game against the West Indies at Kolkata on March 1.
Samson held up one end and continued to strike boundaries, even as wickets fell at the other end. He formed key partnerships with Tilak Varma (27) and Hardik Pandya (17) as India defeated the West Indies by 5 wickets and qualified for the second semi-final, where they’ll face England in Mumbai on March 5.
While he already has three T20I centuries under his belt, this one will most likely be remembered for longer. The context, the strain, and the responsibility on his shoulders made it far more momentous than a typical three-figure performance.
Samson was not in India's starting XI for the T20 World Cup, with Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan picked as the openers.
However, the massive loss to South Africa prompted a reassessment, especially with a left-heavy top order battling for balance. The Indian team management altered the lineup, bringing Samson in to partner Abhishek at the top, while moving Ishan down to No. 3 in an effort to stabilize the batting unit.
And now a video of Samson getting a pep talk from Rohit Sharma has gone viral. The two met as Rohit caught up with the Indian team before their T20 World Cup opener against the USA. Rohit offered Samson a modest word of support, asking him not to give up and assuring him that his opportunity would come.
"Kaisa hai? Dukhi mat ho bhai. It is a long tournament, kabhi bhi mauka aa sakta hai. ("Don't be disheartened. It is a long tournament. You'll get your chance. The opportunity can come anytime," said Rohit to Samson.
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Samson talked candidly about how older players have influenced his development over the years. He talked about spending extended stints on the sidelines, observing and learning from veteran players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
"I think playing in the IPL for around 10 to 12 years and playing for the country for the last 10 years—I have not been playing, but looking from the dugout, learning from the greats like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, like all the greats. I think it’s very important to observe, learn, and see what they were doing. I think that really helped me, too. I think with my experience, I have only played maybe 50, 60 games, but I’ve seen around 100 games, and I’ve seen how the greatest people have finished the games and how they change their game according to the game," Samson said after the match.
