Team India’s former wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has praised Sanju Samson ahead of India’s T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final against England. Karthik said that Samson’s fan following is at par with some of the biggest names in Indian cricket, including Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.
Samson led India to victory by playing a brilliant innings in the important match against West Indies at Eden Gardens. The Kerala batsman scored an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls as India successfully chased the target of 196 runs. He recorded the highest score by an Indian batsman in the T20 World Cup run chase.
Looks like Sanju Samson also has similar fan following – Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik said that Sanju Samson has gone through many ups and downs in his career but he has been receiving huge support from fans across the country. Karthik said that Samson’s popularity is at par with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni.
“Sanju Samson is a fantastic story… He is someone who has always been an enigma. People have loved him. He is my favorite cricketer. Virat, Rohit, Dhoni, they have that kind of fan following. There is something about how he carries himself,” Karthik was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda on Sky Sports.
He said, “What I like in that story is that he has seen a lot of ups and downs. The weight of expectation and the burden of expectations has not been easy on him, even though he is so talented. That day, that ground, after three months of experience, they almost had to push him in and he did the same thing as he did in Calcutta.”
I would have brought him in – Nasser Hussain on Sanju Samson
Former England captain Nasser Hussain said that he would have included Sanju Samson in the team from the first match of the tournament, even if the batsman was not in great form.
Samson was initially left out of the playing eleven but was brought into the team later in the tournament. The wicketkeeper-batsman replaced Rinku Singh in the playing eleven. He is opening the innings with Abhishek Sharma, giving the team a right-left combination at the top.
“I would have brought him (Samson). But then Ishan Kishan, who was an in-form batsman, has to go at number three, so you are trying to solve the problem by removing someone else who is doing well,” Hussain said.
I would have totally gone to him for the matchup – Dinesh Karthik on Sanju Samson
Dinesh Karthik said that India’s decision to bring Sanju Samson into the playing eleven was mainly based on the matchup. The team had three left-handed batsmen in the top order, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Verma, which allowed opposition teams to target them with off-spin bowling.
Karthik said India tried to counter that strategy by introducing a right-handed option by sending Samson to open the batting. He felt that Abhishek lacked his usual confidence, adding that the illness may have affected his strength and overall performance.
“I would have totally gone for them for the matchup. The off-spinners were really troubling India. They weren’t consistently getting the starts that they deserve. The pitches were tough but they wanted to live up to the reputation and it didn’t work out,” Karthik said.
“The off-spinners troubled Abhishek. He didn’t have the confidence that he usually has. I think it had to do with the fact that he got sick at the wrong time. I can look at him and feel that he lacks a bit of muscle,” he said.
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