T20 WC: Samson credits guidance from Sachin Tendulkar for fueling dream run
Ahmedabad, March 8 : India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson said constant guidance from legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar had helped him through setbacks and shaped his Player of the Tournament performances in the side’s run to win the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup.
“To be very honest, a lot of guidance and suggestions came from our senior players in the side. The former Indian team members have really reached out to me, and they tried to help me out. But I think from the last couple of months, I think I hope I can share it here. I have been in constant touch with Sachin Tendulkar sir.
“When I was sitting outside in Australia, I was not playing a game. So, I thought about, okay, what is the mindset required now? So, I reached out to sir and I had huge conversations with him. Yesterday also, he called me up to check how am I feeling.
“So, I think getting guidance from someone like him, what more can I ask for? I think that clarity, that game preparation, that game awareness, that game sense, I think I’m very grateful for everyone who supported me,” said Samson in the post-match presentation ceremony.
It caps off a remarkable run for Samson, who didn’t get to play a game in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup win and got redrafted into the playing eleven from the Super Eights clash against Zimbabwe.
But from the must-win clash against the West Indies, where he hit an unforgettable 97 not out, Samson lit up the World Cup with knocks of 89 in the semi-final against England and then in the final against New Zealand – just the third player in the T20 World Cup to do so.
Overall, Samson amassed 321 runs at an average of 80.25 and strike-rate of 199.37. “Feels like a dream, actually. Very, very happy, very grateful. Out of words, out of emotions. I’m just going through it, so it feels a bit surreal. To be very honest, I think, it all started one to two years before.
“When I was with the 2024 World Cup-winning team in the West Indies, I couldn’t play a game. I kept on visualising. I kept on dreaming. I kept on working. This is exactly what I wanted to do then. I thought I need to work in, I need to put in so much of work that this is exactly what I wanted to achieve. And by God’s grace, I think today things have turned around,” he added.
Samson also talked about the time he felt his dream of performing in the World Cup was over after making only 46 runs in the T20I bilateral series against New Zealand and expressed gratitude to the Almighty for his plans coming true.
“Right after the New Zealand series, I was completely out of my mind. I was like, okay, my dreams have shattered, and what else can I do? But God had different plans. I think I suddenly came back into the crucial games and I did what I could for my country.
“So, I think I’m very proud and very happy that I was courageous enough to dream about it. And actually, things have turned up so nicely for me. So, very grateful. This itself is very big for me. I need to enjoy it right now. Then I think after a few days, we’ll figure out what next to do,” he concluded.