Sanju Samson has been one of the best cricketers of India. The wicketkeeper batsman had an excellent performance during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. He was the leading run-scorer for India with 321 runs and an average of over 80. Sanju scored three consecutive fifties in the tournament and won the Player of the Tournament.
Sanju overtook Virat Kohli’s record of scoring most runs by an Indian in a single edition of the T20 World Cup. Samson scored 97*, 89 and 89 against West Indies, England and New Zealand. The Kerala-born batsman missed a century on three occasions; However, he kept his team ahead of his personal milestones.
I always wanted to be like that – Sanju Samson
However, after the T20 World Cup win, Samson took a subtle dig at the Team India head coach, saying that he never believed in playing selflessly and preferred to focus on playing his natural role for the team.
Gambhir is a firm believer in putting the team ahead of individual achievements and this has been the philosophy of the Men in Blue team since he took over the role of head coach.
Speaking to ANI, he said, “I never wanted to be selfless. I always wanted to be myself. So I bring with me a lot of different qualities, a lot of strengths, a lot of weaknesses… I like to look at cricket as a team sport. So I think we play to win.”
#Watch | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: Team India’s star and player of the tournament #ICCT20WorldCupSanju Samson says, “I never wanted to be selfless. I always wanted to be myself. So I bring with me a lot of different qualities, a lot of strengths, a lot of weaknesses… I like that… pic.twitter.com/VnPjuCRIuY
– ANI (@ANI) 16 March 2026
“And looking at everything that has happened in my life recently, I definitely carry a lot of dreams with me. So a lot of youngsters, a lot of people, not even in cricket, a lot of people in different careers, they look at me as their career, as their life.”
This was a very emotional message for me- Sanju Samson
Sanju further said about talking to Sachin Tendulkar, “I got a message from Sachin sir. It was a very emotional message for me. Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) and I have a very old relationship. I think I met him when I was in KKR. He was the captain of the team and he also lives in Delhi. I also played in the same academy as him.”
In the initial phase, Sanju was not a part of the playing eleven of the big tournament. After the defeat against South Africa in the Super 8 match, the management was forced to include Sanju Samson in the playing eleven. He added more firepower and also neutralized the off-spin tactics of the opponents.
Samson will wear the yellow jersey
Ever since Sanju was included in the team, the Men in Blue did not lose a single game and won their third T20 World Cup title. Sanju Samson will be seen playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and has been one of the most in-form batsmen in the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sanju Samson was traded from Rajasthan Royals to CSK and Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran were also included in this trade. Sanju will get an amount of Rs 18 crore from his new franchise.
Also Read: “I don’t let emotions take over” – Sanju Samson takes dig at former team Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2026