Sanju Samson scripts history, shatters Virat Kohli's big record with 3rd successive fifty in T20 WC 2026 final

Sanju Samson cracks Virat Kohli's record

The wicketkeeper-batter played a brilliant knock of 89 runs off 46 balls against New Zealand in the final at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium. With this innings, Samson’s total for the tournament went up to 321 runs, surpassing Kohli’s previous record of 319 runs set in the 2014 edition. However, he fell only slightly short of Sahibzada Farhan’s all-time tournament record of 383 runs.

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Samson's dream run in T20 World Cup 2026

What makes Samson’s achievement even more special is that he reached this mark in just five innings. At the start of the tournament, he was not part of India’s regular playing XI. In fact, his first appearance came during the group stage when Abhishek Sharma missed a match due to illness, and Samson scored 22 runs against Namibia.

Later in the tournament, India brought him back into the side after Abhishek struggled for form. The team management adjusted the batting order and moved Ishan Kishan to make room for Samson. The Kerala batter made the most of the opportunity with some important contributions, scoring 24 against Zimbabwe, an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies cricket team in a crucial knockout-style match, and 89 against the England cricket team in the semifinal. His 89 in the final against New Zealand was another outstanding effort, although he once again missed out on what could have been a memorable century.