Fans of the India national cricket team silently have dreams, which they sometimes do not say out loud, to ensure that those dreams come true and that they are not cursed or confused.
Sanju Samson stood in the middle of the pitch in the T20 World Cup 2026 final, not as a promise, not as a prospect, but as the hero of the match, one of fans’ dreams as India prepares to enter the marquee tournament.
In this article, we do not make predictions; Instead, we dream. We are presenting a story that Indian cricket fans or at least Sanju Samson fans have imagined at least once.
Sanju Samson and “Inconsistency”
Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson has been in international cricket for over a decade, but his story is one of pauses, what-ifs and moments that never fully unfolded.
If there’s one word that can adequately describe his journey, it’s “inconsistency.” Be it inconsistency in selection or inconsistency in performance, Sanju Samson has seen it all.
Over the years, Samson has performed tremendously in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic cricket and has gained a reputation as an extremely talented batsman. However, despite having all the talent in the world and a good amount of attention, he was never considered good enough for the long rope.
He made his T20I debut in 2015 but has played only 55 T20I matches, scoring 1048 runs at an average of 24.37 and a strike rate of 147.60. The right-handed batsman has scored three centuries and three half-centuries in T20I cricket so far.
Samson never got consistent performances in the Indian team, be it T20I format or ODI format. However, the main reasons behind his non-selection were the better performance of other wicketkeeper-batsmen and his own lack of form.
In ODI cricket, Sanju Samson has played 16 matches for India and scored 510 runs at an average of 56.66 and strike rate of 99.60. His last ODI match was against South Africa in 2023 and despite scoring a century in that match, he was not selected in the playing eleven.
Meanwhile, the big turning point in Samson’s career came when Gautam Gambhir became the head coach of India and gave him consistent opportunities as an opening batsman in T20Is.
Samson repaid the faith of the head coach and secured his place in the top order by scoring three centuries as an opening batsman. However, the team management lost confidence in him after a poor performance in the T20I series against England at home in 2025.
Sanju Samson struggled badly against the short balls and after that series, he was included in the Indian batting line-up in Asia Cup 2025 and was eventually dropped.
However, he got a new lease of life when Shubman Gill failed to perform as an opener in T20I cricket and was dropped just ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Due to this move Sanju Samson once again got his opening spot back.
It was expected that the Kerala superstar would once again show his dominance as an opening batsman, but so far that has not happened and he is struggling just ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Samson’s poor performance comes at a time when Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan is making a sensational comeback into the Indian team and is threatening to take his place as the opening batsman.
Sanju Samson’s T20I career (innings by innings):
| match date | it goes |
| 19-July-15 | 19 |
| 10-January-20 | 6 |
| 31-January-20 | 8 |
| 02-February-20 | 2 |
| 04-December-20 | 23 |
| 06-December-20 | 15 |
| 08-December-20 | 10 |
| 25-July-21 | 27 |
| 28-July-21 | 7 |
| 29-July-21 | 0 |
| 24-February-22 | dnb |
| 26-February-22 | 39 |
| 27-February-22 | 18 |
| 28-June-22 | 77 |
| 06-August-22 | 30* |
| 07-August-22 | 15 |
| 03-January-23 | 5 |
| 03-August-23 | 12 |
| 06-August-23 | 7 |
| 08-August-23 | dnb |
| 12-August-23 | dnb |
| 13-August-23 | 13 |
| 18-August-23 | 1* |
| 20-August-23 | 40 |
| 17-January-24 | 0 |
| 10-July-24 | 12* |
| 13-July-24 | dnb |
| 14-July-24 | 58 |
| 28-July-24 | 0 |
| 30-July-24 | 0 |
| 06-october-24 | 29 |
| 09-october-24 | 10 |
| 12-october-24 | 111 |
| 08-November-24 | 107 |
| 10-November-24 | 0 |
| 13-November-24 | 0 |
| 15-November-24 | 109* |
| 22-January-25 | 26 |
| 25-January-25 | 5 |
| 28-January-25 | 3 |
| 31-January-25 | 1 |
| 02-February-25 | 16 |
| 10-September-25 | dnb |
| 14-September-25 | dnb |
| 19-September-25 | 56 |
| 21-September-25 | 13 |
| 24-September-25 | dnb |
| 26-September-25 | 39 |
| 28-September-25 | 24 |
| 29-october-25 | dnb |
| 31-october-25 | 2 |
| 19-dec-25 | 37 |
| 21-January-26 | 10 |
| 23-January-26 | 6 |
| 25-January-26 | 0 |
A dream where Sanju Samson makes India win T20 World Cup 2026
So, who’s ready to spend story time with this author, Bay Bay? (Adam Cole reference).
After Samson’s poor performance in the three-match T20 series against the Blackcaps, the Gautam Gambhir-led team management finally lost patience and formed a new opening pair for the T20 World Cup 2026.
On Saturday, February 7, against USA, Abhishek Sharma started the innings not with Sanju Samson but with Ishan Kishan. With this, Suryakumar Yadav bats permanently at number 3 and Tilak Verma bats at number 4.
With a lethal batting unit and a strong bowling unit, India displayed incredible dominance and defeated the United States, Namibia, Pakistan and the Netherlands in the group stage.
The action moved to the Super Eights, and Ishan Kishan, who was at full strength, failed in a few matches, leading to calls for Sanju Samson’s return to the playing eleven.
However, Ishan Kishan played back-to-back sensational innings in India’s last Super Eight match as well as the semi-final against Australia. The defeat in the semi-finals came at a cost, as Kishan was staggering throughout the innings.
On the day of the final against South Africa, Suryakumar Yadav announced the return of Sanju Samson to the playing eleven at the last moment due to Ishan Kishan’s injury.
Sanju Samson does a good job behind the stumps in the first innings before stepping onto the field while chasing 174 against a strong Proteas attack. He looks aggressive in the middle but somehow remains at the crease despite Abhishek Sharma’s early dismissal.
He gets good support from his captain and Samson eventually crosses the fifty-run mark. But that’s not the case – destiny has bigger plans for Sanju Samson. A big LBW was shouted in the 19th over; It sounds strange, but the on-field umpire says ‘no’. South Africa took a review and a third umpire was called.
Somehow, Samson escaped dismissal due to the umpire’s call, and the match entered the final over with India needing 6 runs from the last 3 balls. Kagiso Rabada bowls a sizzling short ball to Samson, but this time, he is ready.
Samson played the most valuable pull shot of his life and the ball went for a brilliant six as India lifted the T20 World Cup 2026 trophy. In the commentary, Ravi Shastri is once again repeating his iconic lines, but this time, it is not wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni: “It’s Sanju who finishes brilliantly! A spectacular blow into the crowd! India win the T20 World Cup!”.
Also read: Will Sanju Samson play for West Indies in T20 World Cup? Darren Sammy does a ridiculous stupidity
