India batter Sanju Samson revealed how he scripted his revival after winning his second consecutive Player of the Match in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. His first award had come for his 97* against West Indies, as he helped India qualify for the semi-final.
Then in the semi-final, Sanju Samson hammered 89 runs in 42 balls with 8 fours and 7 sixes, putting India on course for a huge score of 253/7 in 20 overs. In a high-scoring thriller, England managed 246/7, with Jacob Bethell scoring a sublime 105 runs. India won the game by 7 runs and qualified for the final on March 8, where they’ll face New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
Samson has had a huge impact on India’s fortunes, despite not being part of India’s first-choice XI at the start of the T20 World Cup. Due to the restrictions of having three left-handers in the top order, India had to put him at the top. And with two consecutive game-winning knocks, Samson has returned the favor.
Samson revealed how he returned to form, and it was by simply switching off the outside noise. He found support in the closed ones, walked away from social media, and focused on the controllables.
“I think when hard times were coming, my close people—the people whom I love and support—were with me. I closed all my windows, I shut down my phone, and I was not on social media—I am still not on social media. So, less noise and fewer people interacting with me really helped me focus in the right direction, and I am very happy with how things are going,” Samson said in the post-match press conference.
“I think that was very challenging for me. I definitely wanted to come and do what I am trying to do now for the country—contribute and win games in the World Cup. But I think I was trying a bit too much in the New Zealand series. I wanted to make an impact and get into the XI for the World Cup here,” he added.
“But you know this format—this cricket can get very funny. Even the best in the world actually struggle to score runs in this format. So I had to respect the game. I had to come back to my basics and work a bit more from my basics,” Samson added.
When asked if he missed out on two centuries in the last two matches, Sanju had a brilliant reply, underlining his commitment to the Indian team.
“Bhai, I did not miss two centuries. I have made 97 and 89—it is a very big thing. I have been unlucky in the past at times, but sometimes luck also works in your favor once in a while. I was very fortunate that I have gotten this opportunity, so let me grasp it now. It was a ball to be hit; I hit it. The catch was dropped. No worries. Next time, I will hit a bit harder. You keep it very simple, and your mind is always processing how to hit the bowlers and which areas to hit," Sanju said.
Sanju explained the explosive start to the innings by saying that he and his partner, Abhishek Sharma realized early on that the surface was batting-friendly and that India required a safe score of at least 250.
“We were talking in the dressing room about whether there would be dew in the second innings or not. But whether it came or not, the wicket was looking very good before the toss. Even with the covering of grass, I think it was a very true wicket.
After the first over, Abhishek and I were talking about how good the wicket was. Abhishek was saying after the powerplay that we should have at least put up 250. That was the wicket,” he said.
(ANI inputs)
