MS Dhoni and Sanju Samson (PTI Photos) NEW DELHI: Sanju Samson has expressed his excitement at finally sharing the dressing room with legendary cricketer MS Dhoni in the upcoming Indian Premier League season. Although Samson has spoken to Dhoni before and met him during national team camps, he says this will be the first time they will actually play together in the same team.“I have spoken to Mahi bhai many times on the phone and seen him during Indian team camps, but this will be the first time I will be playing alongside him in the team, so the excitement is very high,” Samson told PTI.
Jay Shah calls 2019 to 2026 as the golden era of Indian cricket
He believes spending time with Dhoni throughout the season will be a great experience. “Whenever he calls or we meet, there’s always something positive to take away. But to be with him in the team for two months and see first-hand how he approaches cricket and how he prepares for matches will be a huge asset for me. I’m really happy and I see it as a great opportunity to learn from him.”
Still processing India’s T20 World Cup win
Samson also spoke about India’s victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and admitted that the moment still feels surreal. The tournament was held in India and Samson played a key role in the team’s triumph.“Not yet, I still think that when I wake up in the morning, I’m like, ‘this really happened’. So honestly, that’s the feeling. But I feel that in the coming years, with the quality of players we have in our country, it will happen again. The number of players coming in India will definitely do it more and more,” he told the New Delhiers at the awards.Samson was named player of the tournament after scoring 321 runs at a strike rate of nearly 200 in just five innings. His performances included a match-winning 97 not out against the West Indies national cricket team in the Super Eight stage, followed by a score of 89 in the semi-final against the England national cricket team and another 89 in the final against the New Zealand national cricket team.Samson reflected on his journey, describing it as unpredictable and emotional. He continued: “You can only dream of where you want to go, but you can’t definitely drive the road to get there. So my life or my career has been one of the best examples. I definitely wanted to do it a few years ago. I want to win the World Cup for my country, but it had its own plan, its own script. So it’s more like a movie. I enjoyed it.”He explained that his mindset changed once he focused more on helping the team than on personal goals. “Like I said before, I wanted to do something like that, then they pulled me out of the way, and then all of a sudden the team wanted me to come in and contribute, and that’s when I actually turned around a bit mentally… I think before, in the New Zealand series, I was just focused on me,” he added.
Mohammed Siraj’s unexpected World Cup story
Samson’s story was not the only surprise from India’s title win. Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj also experienced an improbable journey to the trophy. He was not part of the original squad and joined only after Harshit Rana was ruled out due to injury.Reflecting on the moment, Siraj said, “I wasn’t in the original team, then I got it, I played the game and now I’m part of two World Cup winning teams. I’d say it’s a miracle for me.”
