Sanju Samson and Rohit Sharma (Image Agency) Sanju Samson emerged as one of India’s biggest heroes in the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20 after he produced two match-winning performances at crucial moments. The wicket-keeper batsman made his first appearance in a must-win Super 8 against the West Indies cricket team and smashed an unbeaten 97 to guide India home. He then followed it up with another crucial contribution in the semi-final against the England cricket team, scoring a composed 89 to help India seal a place in the final.After Samson’s brilliant knock against West Indies, the International Cricket Council shared a touching moment on social media in which Rohit Sharma cheered on the Kerala batsmen at the start of the tournament. The clip showed Rohit offering reassurance ahead of India’s opening match against the United States national cricket team, a game in which Samson was not included in the playing XI.See also: IND vs NZ T20 World Cup Final Live score
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“Dukhi mat ho bhai. It’s a long tournament, kabhi bhi mauka aa sakta hai.” (“Don’t be disappointed. It’s a long tournament. You will get your chance. An opportunity can come anytime),” Rohit told Samson and hugged him.
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Samson did not start the tournament in India’s playing eleven after struggling during the five-match T20I series against the New Zealand national cricket team ahead of the World Cup. However, the 31-year-old finally got his chance during the group stage encounter against Namibia’s national cricket team when Abhishek Sharma was ruled out due to a stomach infection. Once Abhishek recovered, Samson found himself out of the side again.His comeback came at the start of the Super 8 stage when the team management decided to tweak the opening combination after the off-spinners repeatedly troubled Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan. Since reclaiming his place, Samson has grabbed the opportunity with both hands and is now among the frontrunners for the Player of the Tournament award.Ahead of the final against the New Zealand national cricket team at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Rohit, who serves as the tournament’s brand ambassador, explained why he felt compelled to speak to Samson before the campaign began. Drawing on his own experience of missing out on the 2011 World Cup squad, Rohit said he understood the emotional challenge of waiting on the sidelines.“Sometimes I feel the pulse of a player. I’ve been at that point 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,” Rohit said in a video shared on ICC’s Instagram.Interestingly, Samson was also part of India’s winning team in the 2024 Men’s World T20 Cup but did not win a single match during that campaign. However, he has come up big this time and is currently India’s third highest run-scorer in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 behind Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav.Rohit admitted he could relate to Samson’s disappointment at the start of the tournament and wanted to ensure the batsman remained mentally prepared when the opportunity eventually arose.“Because he was constantly playing for India and then he was dropped right before the World Cup started, you know, I 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,” Rohit said.So far, Samson has been in excellent form in the tournament. He has an average of 77.33 with an explosive strike rate of 201.73. The wicket-keeper batsman has already collected two Player of the Match awards and has been shortlisted for the Player of the Tournament award.
