It was right after Sanju Samson’s 97 off 50 against the West Indies in Kolkata that a clip of a pep talk between him and Rohit Sharma went viral. It showed the former Indian captain approaching Samson and assured him that his chance to play in the side would come. This was just before India’s opening match against USA where Samson was dropped and left on the bench. After the keeper completed the sensational turn, Rohit explained why he decided to have a chat with Samson.
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The former India skipper is no stranger to being forced to wait for chances in his career, having missed out on the 2011 World Cup and being in and out of the game before claiming an opening slot. Rohit said he felt Samson’s emotions at this point as he was at the same place as him during his career.
The former India captain felt he wanted to tell Samson not to get frustrated and wait for his opportunity. Rohit was thrilled to see Samson make the most of his chance to help lead India to the final.
“Sometimes I feel the pulse of a player. I’ve been in that place myself 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 to do the right things and not get frustrated that you don’t get an opportunity, and I felt that with him.”
“Because he was constantly playing for India and then he got dropped right 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 will come. So it happened in a game where it was a crucial game for India and he played blind,” Samson said.
SAMSON’S T20 WORLD CUP 2026 SO FAR
After returning to the team for the Super 8s against Zimbabwe, Samson became India’s new leader with the bat. The wicketkeeper followed up his 97 against West Indies’ 89 in the semi-final to help India beat England to reach the final.
Samson scored 232 runs in four matches at an average of 77.33 and a strike rate of 201.73.
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Published on:
March 8, 2026 12:31 PM IST
