Summary of this article
Sanju Samson won 'Player of the Series' Award in his role to help lift India the T20 WC
Sanju made an emotional admission after being not selected for their Group games
31-year-old powered India to their third T20 WC title
Sanju Samson knew right after the New Zealand T20I series that his spot in the playing XI is no more a guarantee. And his prediction true when the Kerala batter was replaced by Ishan Kishan in the warm-up match against South Africa in Mumbai.
Despite the heartache, Sanju was destined for the best. Abhishek Sharma's inconsistent form at the top of the order forced Indian management's hand in forcing a way back for Sanju in the team. In return, Sanju provided back-to-back winning performances as he led India to the T20 World Cup 2026 title.
“I am the type of person who does much better for others than doing things better for myself. In that series (against NZ), I was competing with my own people (for a place in the team), and I was not very comfortable with it," Sanju said during India Today Conclave.
The 31-year-old admitted that the failure to land a place in the side left him broken.
“I was too desperate knowing that my dream is so near. But was the team still trying some combinations? So, is Sanju there or not there? So, that kind of feeling played in my mind at that time.
“I was absolutely broken because my dream was to win the World Cup, and I am not even in the XI. So, actually, I was gone for 5-6 days, and I started rebuilding myself. Started preparing myself, knowing you never know what the game wants to give back to you," he said.
Sanju's much-awaited chance came against Zimbabwe in the Super 8s at Chennai. He did not make too many runs but his selection in the side gave him an assurance that he will be in the side for the coming games.
Sanju scored 97 against the West Indies and a superb 89 against England in the semi-final and a similar score against New Zealand in the final at Ahmedabad.
“I knew the team management had trust in me. When the World Cup came in, I kind of figured out that the team wants you, so that is the mindset change which happened in my head. So, right from the Zimbabwe game, we had to win four out of four matches, and the team needs you. So, that’s when it became very positive for me, and I was very fired up," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
