Ex-India captain Rohit Sharma revealed the reason behind his pep talk to India batter Sanju Samson when the T20 World Cup 2024-winning captain met the Indian team ahead of their T20 World Cup 2026 opener against the USA in Mumbai on February 7.
Sanju Samson was part of India XI for only one match in the group stage, against Namibia, because Abhishek Sharma was unwell. Samson came into the T20 World Cup with not many runs under his belt, and Ishan Kishan replaced him at the top of the order.
However, Samson was drafted into the Indian XI as they wanted to break the all-left-handed monotony at the top after the loss to South Africa in the Super 8s. Since then, Sanju has been on a roll. He smacked 97* against West Indies in the must-win game in Kolkata.
He then hammered 89*, laying the foundation for India’s 253/7 against England in the high-scoring semi-final in Mumbai. He won Player of the Match in both those games.
The ICC's official social media handle uploaded a video of Rohit Sharma encouraging Samson ahead of India's first match of the tournament against the United States, in which the Kerala batter was not included in the playing XI.
"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," Rohit had told Samson while hugging him.
Rohit, who is also the tournament's brand ambassador, detailed why he gave Samson a pep talk before the game against the United States.
“I can sometimes feel the pulse of the player. I have been myself in that place where, you know, when I've been in a tournament like this and my chances haven't come, it's important to stay focused and try and do the right things and not get frustrated with you not getting the opportunity, and that's what I felt with him,” said Rohit in a video shared on Instagram by the ICC.
The batter is currently India's third-highest run-scorer in the 2026 edition of the World Cup, only behind Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav. He has 232 runs at an average of 77.33 and a strike rate of 201.73.
Rohit expressed his sympathy for Samson when he did not start in the lineup, but he also reminded him that funnier things have happened in the past and that a chance for him could come at any time.
“Because he was consistently playing for India and then was dropped just before the World Cup started, you know, I just wanted to tell him that it's a long tournament and funny things have happened in the past, so I just wanted to reassure him that your chance would come. So it happened in the game where it was a crucial game for India, and he played a blinder,” said Rohit.
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