Sanju Samson backs the Indian team to dominate world cricket
Star Indian wicket-keeper batter, Sanju Samson, admitted that the Indian team is set to dominate the cricket world in the upcoming years. He mentioned the recent victory in the T20 World Cup, which Indian players had been eagerly striving to win.
"Not yet, I am still like, when I get up in the morning I'm like, 'has it really happened'. So honestly, that's the feeling. But I feel that in the coming years with the quality of players we have in our country, this is going to be repeated. The number of players which are coming up and India is definitely going to do this more and more often,” said Samson.
Sanju Samson became the player of the tournament for his excellent performance throughout the tournament, especially in the knock-out matches. He scored 321 runs in 5 innings, including 3 match-winning half-centuries. He was dropped in the starting phase due to a dip in form, but after his return to playing XI, his fortune was completely changed. Sanju gave the team a quick start by scoring 22 and 24 runs in his first two innings against Namibia and Zimbabwe, respectively.
Though Sanju Samson could not convert his starts into big innings, after watching his batting, everyone was convinced that he has returned to his form, and now only his big innings are coming. After this, he scored an unbeaten match-winning 97* against the West Indies, chasing 197, in a do-or-die super 8 clash, securing a semi-final spot for the Men in Blue. In the semi-finals, against England, He scored 89 runs, which helped India put a mammoth total of 254 runs. At the end, India won the match by just 7 runs. Then, in the big final, against New Zealand, he once again amassed 89 runs, which helped India 2nd time 250 run mark, scoring 255 and won the title game by 96 runs. He also revealed that he had always dreamed of helping India win a World Cup.
"You can only dream where you want to go, but you can't definitely ride the path towards it. So my life or my career has been one of the best examples. I definitely wanted to do this a couple of years ago. I want to win a World Cup for my country, but it had its own plan, its own script. So, but more like a movie. I enjoyed it,” said Samson.
"As I said before, I wanted to do something like this, then I got pulled out of my journey, and then suddenly, the team wanted me to come and contribute, and that's when I actually mentally flipped a bit... I think, before that, in the New Zealand series, the focus was all about myself,” he added.
Sanju Samson has now become a part of two World Cup-winning teams, first in 2024 and more recently in the T20 World Cup 2026. He did not get a chance to play in the 2024 edition as veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were dominating the batting lineup. However, in the latest World Cup, he showcased his ability with match-winning performances.
"But in the World Cup, the focus is all about the team, what the team requires. And in the Zimbabwe game, right from that moment, everyone wanted me to contribute. I had a role to play. So that's when the shift happened and the confidence that, okay, 'the team needs you, Sanju', and let's do what you can do the best. So that's where everything started from. And then I had the experience, I was working mentally. I was working physically, so I knew that I'm ready, and I knew that this was meant for me, so I just had to do what I know best,” said Samson.
