India captain Suryakumar Yadav needed one of his players to step up during the must-win clash against West Indies in the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20 on Sunday, March 1, and Sanju Samson obliged. Immediately after the chase was over and Samson got back to the dugout, the Indian skipper showed his class by bowing to the wicket-keeper batsman and sending him a special message on Instagram.
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Samson played one of his best knocks in an Indian jersey as he maintained control during India’s tough chase of 196 in Kolkata, remains unbeaten on 97 off 50 balls. The hosts won the match by five wickets and booked their place in the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final against England.
Suryakumar went on to praise his match winner on Instagram stories as he affectionately called him ‘Chetta’ and had a special message for him.
“Good things happen to good people,” Suryakumar told Samson. Credit: Suryakumar Instagram
WHAT WAS SURYA’S MESSENGER TO SAMSON?
Suryakumar was one of the main reasons why Samson was used as an opener during his purple patch in 2024 when he scored three T20I hundreds. Despite the keeper being in and out of the side in recent times, the Indian skipper’s faith in Samson has never wavered.
At the post-match presentation, Suryakumar said it was due to Samson’s hard work and he was able to reap his rewards at the right time.
“I always say good things happen to good people who wait, who have a lot of patience. I just said that to him (Samson). It’s all his hard work that he put in when he wasn’t playing and it’s getting fruits at the right time,” Suryakumar said.
India will face England in the second semi-final on March 5 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
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Published on:
02 Mar 2026 08:04 IST
