Gautam Gambhir Reveals Why Sanju Samson Was Brought Back in ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026

The Indian opener, Sanju Samson, was not included in the Indian squad for the first four matches. For the first time, the Indian head coach, Gautam Gambhir, spoke on the return of the Indian batsman. The return of Sanju Samson changed the course of the Indian team’s campaign in the T20 World Cup 2026. The Kerala wicket-keeper batsman played only one match for India against Namibia before returning to the Super 8. The return of the Indian batsman helped India win the tournament for the third consecutive time. Gambhir said he always believed in the potential of the batsman and told the team management to include the batsman in the playing eleven.

It's worth noting that among Team India's top three batsmen, Abhishek Sharma was out of form, while Ishan Kishan was consistently performing well and Tilak Varma was struggling. Their presence made it difficult for India to find momentum in the first few matches. However, the situation changed completely after Samson's return to the team in the Super 8 stage.

In a conversation with GeoHotstar, Gambhir explained, "I know many people will talk about us wanting to break the three left-handed batsmen in the top order, but that wasn't the case at all. We just felt we needed to be more explosive, because for the last year and a half, our mindset has been to go out there and play as explosively as possible."

The purpose of bringing Sanju into the team wasn't to counter the off-spinner bowling from the other side. I believe a good batsman can perform well against any kind of bowler, whether it's an off-spinner or a left-arm spinner. The real point was whether we could bring more aggression to the top order and play more aggressively in the first six overs.

Gambhir further said, "I told him this in the gym. We were training together and I simply told him that you'll be playing against Zimbabwe. He said, 'Come on,' and our conversation is just as casual. This isn't a head coach-player relationship, but rather a relationship where most of our personal conversations take place during practice sessions."

Samson had no idea that after being left out of the first match of the T20 World Cup (against the USA), his role would become so important later on. His performances in the matches against Namibia and Zimbabwe were quite weak, scoring 22 and 24 respectively. However, it was in the knockout stages and crucial matches that Samson proved his worth. His match-winning scores of 97*, 89, and 89 against the West Indies (in the Super 8s), England (in the semi-finals), and New Zealand (in the final) earned him the Player of the Series award.