Former Pakistan bowler Shoaib Akhtar praises Indian coach Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir strongly advocated Sanju Samson’s inclusion in the T20 World Cup squad. Samson has given exceptional performances since then. His batting was a major highlight of the tournament. He scored significantly and broke records. This helped India reach the final. Former Pakistan quick Shoaib Akhtar has praised India head coach Gautam Gambhir for backing Sanju Samson, whose red-hot form with the bat has become one of the biggest themes of the ongoing Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.Samson was recalled to the Indian playing eleven after the team lost to South Africa in what was effectively a knockout match against the West Indies cricket team. The wicket-keeper batsman seized the opportunity in style and smashed a brilliant 97 during a thrilling chase to guide India to victory. He carried that momentum into the semi-finals as India defeated the England cricket team and booked a place in the final against the New Zealand national cricket team, producing 89 off just 42 balls.
T20 World Cup Final: Greenstone Lobo Predicts Winner India Vs. New Zealand | Astrological analysis
Speaking on PTV Sports’ ‘Game On Hai’, Akhtar explained that Samson’s return to the side was not straightforward. According to the former pacer, Gambhir had to strongly advocate the inclusion of the batter in the team’s management setup.
Vote
Is Gautam Gambhir the right coach for the Indian cricket team?
“Samson has been in the Indian cricket circuit since 2014. There was a lot of hype around him when I was working in India around 2015. He had to wait for a long time to get regular chances because India had wicketkeepers like MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik and others. Even now Gambhir has been fighting for the team, basically getting selected with everyone. He didn’t feature in the tournament initially,” Akhtar said in a video that shared by Tapmad.Samson’s numbers in the tournament underline his remarkable form. In four matches so far, he has amassed 232 runs at an impressive average of 77.33 and a strike rate of 201.73, including two half-centuries. His highest score remains an unbeaten 97 against West Indies in the virtual quarter-final in Kolkata.The 31-year-old also etched his name alongside Virat Kohli after his semi-final heroics. With his 89 against England, Samson equaled Kohli’s record for the highest score by an Indian in a T20 World Cup knockout match. Kohli produced an identical 89 not out from 47 balls against the West Indies during the 2016 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final at the same venue.Samson also dominated the charts with six hits in this edition of the tournament. With 16 maximums to his name, he has already surpassed India’s previous record of 15 sixes in a single T20 World Cup campaign set by Rohit Sharma in 2024.
