Ricky Ponting said India’s decision to back Sanja Samson to open the batting while shifting Ishan Kishan to No.3 proved crucial to their triumph in the T20 World Cup in 2026. The change made India the first team to successfully defend the title in the history of the tournament. Samson had earlier lost his top spot after enduring a poor series against New Zealand.
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Kishan started India’s first five matches of the World Cup but was moved down the order after registering a duck in the Super 8 clash against South Africa. Once Samson returned to the top, he scored 321 runs at an average of 80.25 in five matches.
‘GREAT CALL TO GIVE’
Ponting said Samson flourished because he got full support from the captain and coaching staff, adding that trust, reassurance and belief from the team management is often all a player needs to perform at his best.
“It was actually a big challenge – to move Ishan Kishan down the order to get Sanju Samson back at the top. That’s a big decision but it worked out really well in the end,” Ponting said at the ICC.
“As a player – and I’m speaking here as a coach and also a former captain – all you really need is the support of the captain and the coaching staff. Sometimes you just need a pat on the back or an arm around the shoulders to say, ‘Look mate, we’re sticking with you, we believe in you and we think you’re the right man for the role,'” Ponting said.
“WE NEED SANJA”
Samson hit his best form with an unbeaten 97 in India’s virtual quarter-final against the West Indies. He followed that up with 89 in the seven-run semi-final win over England, before scoring another 89 in the final to help India beat New Zealand by 96 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
“When you have the quality of Sanju and the confidence of the captain and the coach behind you, that’s when big things can happen. I don’t know exactly what has been going on in the Indian camp for the last few weeks, but it certainly looked that way from the outside.”
“It was like the team decided, ‘If we want to win this tournament, we need Sanja at the top, playing his best cricket and full of confidence.’ And that’s exactly what they got,” Ponting added.
For his outstanding performances, Samson was named player of the tournament. He was also included in the ICC Team of the Tournament alongside Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
March 16, 2026 5:58 PM IST
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