Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson turned saviour for India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Samson tackled the off-spin, solving the rare problem of having too many left-handers in an Indian team. Benched for a few games, Samson saved his best for the knockout affairs. His three consecutive fifties (close to 100s) helped India defend their T20 World Cup title at home. He was adjudged ‘Player of the tournament’ and has earned plaudits from legendary cricketers comparing him to other legendary cricketers. After Anil Kumble called him a combination of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar feels he is explosive like Vivian Richards and plays stylish shots like Mahela Jayawardene. The cricketer-turned-commentator feels that a quality player like Samson is rarely seen in the new era of T20s.
“Purity of batting is generally a virtue in the longest format of the game, Test match cricket, and occasionally in the 50-over game, but hardly ever in the ultra-short format of the game. Samson provided that in all his three fifty-plus innings in playing classical cricket shots, along with some of the most imperious pulling and hooking seen in recent times. His pulling, off the fierce pace of Jofra Archer, was reminiscent of Viv Richards at his powerful best, though most of his batting is more like the Sri Lankan stylist Mahela Jayawardene,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for SportStar.
'How form can change in one innings'
Samson did not walk into the tournament with form by his side. He had struggled in the home T20I series against New Zealand which cost him a spot in the side. The team management put their faith in Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan until the young opener had his first slump in international cricket, facing issues against slower balls and off-spinners. Samson got his spot as a desperate attempt to fix the top-order issues and proved he is the right man for the job. Gavaskar feels that Samson’s contribution will be remembered for years to come.
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“Sanju Samson is a prime example of how form can change in one innings. He was not even in the mix at the start of the tournament after a horrific time in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, just before the World Cup started. Rinku Singh’s father’s condition worsening before his demise meant that Rinku left the team to go and see him. While he did return to the team, the management thought it better not to play him and opted to bring back Samson. This meant there was a right and left-hand combination at the top of the batting order once again, and even as Abhishek Sharma faltered, Samson grabbed his chance and played three pearlers that would be remembered for years to come,” the 76-year-old further wrote.
Samson finished as the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament. From five innings, he scored 321 runs at an average of 80.25 and strike rate of 199.37.
CSK debut next for Samson
In the coming few weeks, Samson will be seen making his debut for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after Rajasthan Royals (RR) traded him for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. He will play under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad. He will also have legendary MS Dhoni by his side.