India wicketkeeper batter Sanju Samson revealed that he stayed away from social media by switching off his phone during a lean patch to his self-belief after single-handedly guiding India to the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinals with a five-wicket win over West Indies.
How does Sanju Samson deal with outside noise?
Samson, who was featuring for the third time in the T20 World Cup 2026, smashed an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls, hitting 12 fours and four sixes, which helped India to win the virtual knockout against the Caribbean side.
Chasing 196 after a heavy loss to South Africa in their Super Eight opener, India needed a response. Samson provided it. After India's win, Samson revealed that he keeps working on shot selection.
"Shot selection was something I kept working on. I did not want to change too much because I knew I had performed with the same setup," Samson told Star Sports after the win.
"I kept believing in myself, switched off my phone, switched off social media and listened to my own self.
"I am very happy it happened in a very special game."
"It was a bit of a difficult chase. Looking at our batting power, I felt that chasing 190-odd at Eden Gardens, when dew comes in, gets a bit easier, but losing wickets at regular intervals made it challenging," he said.
"To be honest, that's where my experience and my role played a big part. I got a good start, but when the wickets kept falling, I felt I needed to finish the game and take it till the last moment."
Instead of forcing high-risk strokes, Samson relied on percentage cricket, choosing his moments to attack.
"When you are chasing a score like this in a pressure game, you take different options and play more boundaries rather than looking at risk-taking options," he added.
Sanju Samson's performance in T20 World Cup 2026
Samson, who represented India in three T20 World Cup matches against Namibia, Zimbabwe and West Indies respectively, has scored 143 runs, including an unbeaten 97-run knock vs West Indies.
India's upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 clash
India will now face England in their T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal, which is scheduled to take place on March 5 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.