Behind the aggressive, high-risk drive that defined India’s 2026 World T20 triumph was a quiet home anchor who kept Sanju Samson from drifting. While the cricketing world celebrated his Performance of the player of the tournament – capped by an 89-run victory in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday – it was Samson’s heartfelt tribute on social media to his wife Charulatha that cut through the din of celebrations to reveal the human prize behind the trophy.
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Samson wrote on social media on Monday: tribute to Charulath which took the shine off the victory and revealed the hardness of their marriage.
“From the day I met you to this day in my life, thank you so much for being by my side, loving me for who I am and being completely honest and sincere with me, no matter what I was to the outside world,” he wrote.
“When you’ve seen my best, you’ve seen my worst, you’ve seen it all and you’ve still stood by me. Thank you for understanding how big cricket is in my life and doing the same for you.”
“And you have wished and dreamed with the same passion and intensity as I have for this moment. Thank you very much, my dear Pondattiiiiii (sic),” he added. Screengrab of Sanju Samson’s Instagram post
BACK IN THIRUVANTHAPURAM
A day after his historic triumph in Ahmedabad, Samson didn’t head for the bright lights or the raucous after-party. Instead, when the dust settled on a tournament that officially established him as one of the most dangerous white-ball openers in the world, his first instinct was to quietly return to the comforts of his hometown, Thiruvananthapuram.
Standing at home on Monday, the superstar batsman looked less like a global icon than a son and husband who had finally breathed his last. The Sanju Samson narrative has long been framed as one of unrealized potential, but as he clutched his medal, he revealed that his path to the podium was sustained by a tight circle that kept him from sinking during his darkest professional moments.
The journey to Ahmedabad was far from straightforward. After a bilateral series against New Zealand in January where the runs simply dried up, Samson admitted he fell into a mental slump that almost derailed his World Cup before a ball was even dropped.
“I was very negative right after this series,” Samson told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday evening.
“It’s okay to admit when you’re not 100 percent. I kind of felt like I admitted I wasn’t okay. I knew I wasn’t going to be part of the team (initially), so I asked my wife to travel with me because I wasn’t feeling well.”
It was a rare admission in a sport that often requires a mask of stoic invincibility. Samson didn’t just feel out of shape; he felt left out. His decision to take his wife Charulatha on tour from day one proved to be a deeply personal masterstroke.
“I knew I wasn’t going to be part of the team, so I asked her to be with me because I wasn’t at my best. She supported me and kept me in a really great mental state. That was very important. When my wife is with me, I’m always a little bit more positive, I’m always laughing and smiling. So she kept me happy. When I was happy and I got a chance, I did what I could,” he said.
#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: On India’s ICCT20 WorldCup2026 win, Indian cricketer Sanju Samson says, “It was like a dream… I was brave enough to have this dream… I want to win it for my country. I want to contribute in such a way that it becomes what it is now.” pic.twitter.com/FM4iD6XEEK— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2026
That luck translated into a brutal, high-risk brand of batting that became the heart of Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav’s all-conquering Indian T20I side. The technical brilliance, the effortless sixes over extra cover and the disregard for the bowling reputation were just the output of a stabilized internal engine.
“Right after winning the World Cup yesterday, I wanted to go home. I met my parents right away – they are very happy. I am very grateful to them, my father and my mother. They were the ones who introduced me to cricket. They are the reason I started playing cricket and the reason I am who I am,” he said.
“I am very grateful to the community around the world for the messages and support. Thank you to all the people for all the prayers I continue to receive. We all know the power of prayer – when real people are praying for you, it cannot go to waste,” he added.
Samson has been in sensational form since returning to the side midway through the tournament. Against the West Indies in a must-win Super 8 clash in Kolkata, he produced a A Virat Kohli-esque masterclass, he smashed 97 in India’s successful chase of 196.
In the semi-final against England, Samson’s 89 helped India post a mammoth 253 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He exploded again in the final, hitting three consecutive scores of 80 or more to power India to 255 – a total too much for New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Samson was eventually named Player of the Tournament after finishing as India’s top scorer, scoring 321 runs in just five matches.
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– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
09 March 2026 20:54 IST
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