Sanju Samson expressed his gratitude to the ‘God of Cricket’, Sachin Tendulkar, after winning the Player of the Tournament award following India’s victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad on March 8. Samson revealed that Tendulkar personally reached out to him and had meaningful conversations during a difficult phase in his career when he was struggling for form.
In the final, Samson played a sensational knock, smashing 89 off 46 balls, which helped the India national cricket team post a massive 255/5 against the Kiwis. Later, the Men in Blue delivered a dominant performance with the ball to win the match by 96 runs, clinching their third ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title.
“A lot of former players have reached out to me and tried to help me out. For the last couple of months, I have been in constant contact with Sachin sir. I reached out to him and had big, big conversations with him. Getting guidance from someone like him, what more can you ask for? I am very grateful for everyone who supported me,” said Samson in the post-match show.
Samson described winning the Player of the Tournament award as a dream come true. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter admitted that he was shattered after suffering five consecutive failures against New Zealand earlier, but expressed gratitude to God for helping him turn things around at the right moment.
Samson bounced back in style during the crucial stages of the tournament. He scored a brilliant 97* off 50 balls against West Indies and followed it up with 89 off 42 balls against England in the semifinals. With these performances, Samson finished the tournament as one of the leading run-scorers, amassing 326 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 199.37, playing a pivotal role in India lifting the trophy.
“Feels like a dream. I am very happy and grateful. Out of words, out of emotions. [On his three fifties, thought process] To be honest, it started one-two years before. When I was in the 2024 World Cup team, where I didn’t play, I kept visualising, kept on working, and this was exactly what I wanted to do. After the NZ series, I was broken; my dreams were completely shattered. And I was thinking what can I do. But God had different plans. And I was rewarded for being brave enough to dream,” said Samson.
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