Quick Score: India (255 for 5 in 20 overs) beat New Zealand (159 all out in 19 overs) by 96 runs in the T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. | IND vs NZ Final: Highlights | Scorecard |
After a roller-coaster ride that culminated in him winning the Player of the Tournament award at the T20 World Cup 2026, opener Sanju Samson revealed that he leaned on Sachin Tendulkar’s guidance to overcome a slim run of form. Samson was emotional as he received the award from host Ian Bishop at the Narendra Modi Stadium after India beat New Zealand by 96 runs in the one-sided final on Sunday, March 8.
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Sanju Samson was not even in the playing XI when India started their T20 World Cup campaign after being benched in January 2013 following a disappointing bilateral series against New Zealand. he scored just 46 runs in five matches. Only Abhishek Sharma’s stomach illness gave him an opportunity, but Samson was back warming the bench once a fit Abhishek returned to the XI. However, luck eventually turned to him when India opted to split the top three from the left heavy after the off-spinners troubled the Indian top order.
Back in the must-win XI against Zimbabwe in Chennai, Samson showed flashes of a return to form. It was against West Indies, in a steep chase of 196, that Samson really exploded. Broke an an unbeaten 97, producing a Virat Kohli-style knock in a high-pressure chase to secure India’s place in the semi-finals. In the big semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium, Samson set the tone for India’s mammoth total of 253 with 89 not out. In the final, Samson again laid the platform for India’s record 255 in Ahmedabad with a 46-ball 89.
“I was in constant touch with Sachin Tendulkar sir. Sitting out in Australia and not getting a game, I thought, ‘What mindset is needed now?’ So I approached Sir and had long conversations with him. He even called me yesterday to see how I was feeling. Getting advice from someone like him – what more could I ask for? That clarity, that awareness of the game, that game sense, helped me develop. I am very grateful to those who supported me,” Samson said on Sunday.
‘I WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF MY MIND’
Samson has been at his best in his three must-win matches for India. It’s hard to pick a favorite because he hardly put a foot wrong in any of them.
It was the kind of performance that a nation of more than a billion had long craved from a prodigiously talented cricketer, and it came at the right time.
Calling it God’s grace, Samson also took some credit for saying that he had the courage to dream of becoming a nation’s hero despite failing.
“It feels like a dream. Very happy, very grateful. No words, going through the emotions. It’s a little surreal,” Samson said.
“I couldn’t play any game in the T20 World Cup 2024 in West Indies. I kept visualizing, I kept dreaming of doing exactly that. I told myself that I have to put in a lot of work. That’s exactly what I wanted to achieve. By God’s grace, things turned around.
“Right after the New Zealand series, I was broke. I was completely out of it. I was like ‘my dreams have been shattered. What else can I do?’
“But God had other plans. Suddenly I was back in the finals and I did what I could for my country. I’m very proud, very happy that I had the courage to dream about it. Very grateful.”
Having been in and out of the senior national team over the years, Samson should earn himself a long rope at the top level with his performances in this T20 World Cup. He finished the 2026 campaign as India’s top run-scorer and third-highest overall, with 321 runs in five matches.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
08 March 2026 23:22 IST
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