From Being Dropped to Player of the Tournament Contender: Sanju Samson’s Dream Run

Whenever anyone thinks of the T20 World Cup 2026, the name of Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson pops up in their minds. When India announced its squad for the T20 World Cup, Sanju Samson was included as the first-choice wicketkeeper and opening batsman for the Indian team. Sanju, however, performed poorly in the five-match T20 series against New Zealand and was left out of the squad just before the World Cup due to his poor form.

It seemed like Sanju Samson’s career had come to an end, and he might never play for India again. However, destiny had other plans for Sanju, as his exclusion affected the balance of the team. The Indian top order consists of many left-handed batsmen, and the opponents got a chance to attack. Teams began using off-spinners in the very first over, as off-spinners are often effective against left-handers. As a result, India's average for the first wicket in this tournament was just 6.8 runs, the lowest among the 20 teams participating.

India's opening partnerships without Sanju in this World Cup:
8 (8) vs USA
1 (6) vs Pakistan
0 (3) vs Netherlands
0 (4) vs South Africa

Without Sanju, the opening pair failed to reach double figures even once. Despite this poor performance, when captain Suryakumar Yadav was asked about Sanju's return, he jokingly replied, "Who should he replace Abhishek Sharma or Tilak Varma?" In fact, at that time, both batsmen (Abhishek and Tilak) were struggling with poor form and consistently disappointing, yet such a sarcastic and light-hearted statement from the captain would have been demoralizing and disappointing for any player (especially Sanju, who was in reserve).

The humiliating defeat against South Africa forced the Indian team management to reshuffle the top order. With the arrival of Sanju Samson, the opponents' off-spin strategy was rendered ineffective. Sanju plays spin well, so even if a team tried to use a spinner in the powerplay, Sanju would tear apart the bowler.

India's opening partnerships with Sanju
25 (12) vs Namibia
48 (22) vs Zimbabwe
29 (18) vs West Indies
20 (12) vs England

Samson gave a blazing start against Zimbabwe, but he couldn't convert it into a big innings. Sanju was dismissed for 24 runs off 15 balls in this match. However, India benefited from a quick start, as the team put on a 48-run partnership for the first wicket and posted a mammoth total of 256. Samson's batting remained unstoppable after that, leading India to victories in the knockout matches against both England and the West Indies.

In the semi-final against England, Sanju Samson laid the foundation for a strong score with an 89-run knock off 42 balls. He shared a 97-run partnership for the second wicket with Ishan Kishan off 45 balls. He also scored an unbeaten 97 in the must-win India-West Indies match in Kolkata. He opened the innings for India, chasing a target of 196, and led the team to victory. Samson scored an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls.

Samson has so far scored 232 runs in four matches at an impressive average of 77.33. During this period, he hit 22 fours and 16 sixes. He has been nominated by the ICC for the Player of the Tournament award for his outstanding performance. If Sanju wins this award, he will become the second Indian player, after former captain Virat Kohli, to be named Player of the Tournament.