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Sanju Samson has discovered how Rohit SharmaHis words of encouragement during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 initially failed to convince him after he was left out of India’s playing XI in the later stages of the tournament. However, the wicket-keeper batsman eventually rediscovered his confidence and responded with one of the key knocks of India’s campaign against the West Indies.After Samson endured a disappointing five-match T20I series against New Zealand ahead of the World Cup, Rohit made it clear that the Kerala player still has an important role to play in India’s campaign.“Dukhi mat ho bhai. It’s a long tournament, kabhi bhi mauka aa sakta hai.” (“Don’t get discouraged bro. It’s a long tournament. You’ll get your chance. An opportunity can come anytime,”) Rohit told Samson as he hugged him.
‘I didn’t trust Rohit then’
Looking back on that difficult phase, Samson admitted that he was too disappointed to believe his captain’s words at the time.“To be honest, I didn’t believe him then. I’m sorry. He might have been speaking from his heart or from his experience, but that day I couldn’t see what he was seeing. You could see it on my face; I was a bit off that day,” Samson told JioStar.The Kerala batsman said the disappointment lingered even after India began their World Cup campaign, making it difficult for him to move on immediately.“Our World Cup campaign started two days after the New Zealand series and I need at least a week to recover. I don’t like to indulge in things, so it shows on my face if I’m not feeling 100 per cent. I went through that phase for four or five days before I got back on track,” he added.
‘I began to rediscover myself’
Samson said the failure eventually turned into an opportunity for self-reflection, which helped him reconnect with his purpose as a cricketer.“You know you’re down, so what’s next? You’re at the bottom, so you can only go up from there. I started working on myself mentally. I started asking myself, why am I playing cricket? What’s my purpose? It was like I was rediscovering myself during the World Cup. And then everything just came back,” said Samson.
Redemption of Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson scripted one of the greatest redemption stories in T20 World Cup history, finishing as player of the tournament as India lifted the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on home soil. After initially missing out on playing He also smashed the tournament record of 24 sixes, the most by any batsman in a single T20 edition of the World Cup.
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