Sanju Samson has enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in the latter half of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 tournament. The Kerala batter wasn't even preferred in India's playing XI for the first few matches, but a stomach bug for Abhishek Sharma meant that Samson got to play in the group stage match against Namibia.
He scored just 22 runs in that match on 12 February, and endured another mediocre outing of 24 runs against Zimbabwe two weeks later. The 31-year-old's big moment, however, came in the must-win Super 8 match against West Indies.
He scored an unbeaten 97 from 50 balls to guide India to the semi-finals, and carried on his positive run in the semi-finals against England, scoring 89 runs from 42 balls.
Samson's comeback, however, would not have been possible without the help of T20 World Cup-winning skipper Rohit Sharma. Soon after his knock of 97, the ICC shared a video of Samson's conversation with Rohit before India's first match against USA on 7 February.
Rohit Sharma reveals what he told Sanju Samson
Rohit gave Samson a pep talk ahead of the USA match. Rohit has been in a similar situation himself. He was overlooked from India's squad for the 2011 ODI World Cup, but went onto become one of the best batters India has produced.
“I can sometimes feel the pulse of the player. I have been myself in that place where, you know, when I've been in a tournament like this, and my chances haven't come, it's important to stay focused and try and do the right things and not get frustrated with you not getting the opportunity, and that's what I felt with him,” Rohit said in a video that was uploaded on ICC's Instagram page.
"Because he was consistently playing for India and then was dropped just before the World Cup started, you know, I just wanted to tell him that it's a long tournament and funny things have happened in the past, so I just wanted to reassure him that your chance would come. So it happened in the game where it was a crucial game for India and he played a blinder," added Rohit, who only plays ODIs after having retired from T20Is and Tests.
During his conversation with Samson ahead of the USA match, Rohit had said: "Dukhi mat ho bhai. It is a long tournament, kabhi bhi mauka aa sakta hai. ("Don't be disheartened. It is a long tournament. You'll get your chance. The opportunity can come anytime)."
As it turns out, Rohit's prediction came true, and his pep talk helped Samson a lot. In four matches so far this tournament, Samson has aggregated 232 runs at a strike-rate of 201.73, and this includes two fifties. He will be hoping to maintain his impressive form when India face New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2026 final in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
