T20 World Cup 2026: 97*, 89 and the Sanju Samson juggernaut rolls on

(Don’t be disheartened, opportunity can come anytime),” were former India captain Rohit Sharma’s comforting words when he met Sanju Samson before India’s T20 World Cup opener against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium around a month ago. Little did he know then that the player, who was nowhere close to making the playing XI, would keep India alive in the tournament not once but twice. The backstory, the ups and downs, and the battle for the slot are now in the past, as the wicketkeeper-batter has timed his form perfectly and emerged as a force to reckon with at just the right time.

If the unbeaten 97 in Kolkata against the West Indies was calm and controlled, the 89-run knock in Mumbai was pure dominance.

Two contrasting knocks resulted in the same outcome for India, a win. As he settled into the chair for a refreshing interaction with the media, the 31-year-old reflected on the two innings but kept his responses measured because there is “one more step to go. ”

“It feels really great and also relieving that I have been trying for a few years to do something like this for my country. I have been waiting with a lot of patience, a lot of inner work, a lot of training and a lot of practice.

So definitely I should be very grateful, but I also feel that we have one more step to go. If we do that, then I think all the work and everything was worth it.

“So I feel that one more innings should be really good. And yes, I think the last innings definitely played a good role in this innings as well. I knew I was timing the ball really well and making good decisions. I thought that if you are in form, you should definitely contribute to your team in this game as well. So that’s how I prepared for today and things came together very nicely,” said Samson.

He was within striking distance of scoring back-to-back hundreds for the side, especially in a World Cup, but he chose to look at the brighter side, valuing the match-winning contribution more than the milestone. The Kolkata run chase forced him to bat a certain way due to the regular fall of wickets, but he realised early that domination would be the key while batting first in the semi-final on an absolute belter of a pitch.

From 12 boundaries and four sixes in Kolkata to eight boundaries and seven sixes in Mumbai, the intensity remained the same in both outings. The strike rates were in similar territory, but the approach was dictated by the match situation and what would work best for the team at that moment.

“Last match was all about taking the team along. As soon as we built momentum, wickets kept falling in the last game, so I had to finish it off till the last ball. But this game was completely different. When you are batting first in Wankhede, you know that no score is enough here, so I just wanted to capitalise on as many fours and sixes as possible for the team,” explained Samson.

The last time India and England faced each other in a bilateral T20I series, Samson was troubled by Jofra Archer with some short-pitched bowling. But the opener came well prepared to take on the speedster. A stable base and slight alterations to his initial movement have allowed him to get into better positions, and he used the depth of the crease well to avoid being rushed by the extra pace and bounce available early in the innings.

In that T20I series, Archer dismissed Samson three times in 23 balls. But Thursday’s contest went the opener’s way as he made the most of an early reprieve off Archer’s bowling to punish the bowler. Thirty-nine runs off just 14 balls, including three boundaries and four sixes, ensured that the highly anticipated battle between the former IPL teammates had a clear winner.

“It was definitely playing in my mind. Last time when we played them at home, we played five games against England and Jofra was definitely a very effective bowler at that time. So I had to do some preparation and be a bit clearer in my head about how I was going to face him. I tried to apply that today. He is definitely a world-class bowler.

“You need to respect what he does and at the same time you need to be confident as well. I was a bit more confident because I had just played a really good innings a couple of days ago. I needed to take that confidence forward and that helped me tackle the bowlers today,” said Samson.

Having played over 300 T20 games, Samson has often started conversations about his batting but failed to sustain them due to inconsistency. The decade-long wait for his maiden T20 World Cup appearance ended in unusual circumstances as Abhishek Sharma was unavailable due to illness. However, he is now the rightful owner of the top-of-the-order spot. While some burden is off his shoulders after two back-to-back Man of the Match performances, he remains focused on Sunday’s title clash.

“One more match, then I’ll feel very light,” came his response when asked whether he felt relieved after the match-winning innings.

Rohit, who tried to keep his former T20I teammate in good spirits on February 7, would have been a proud man watching the action unfold from the stands on Thursday.

“It’s a long tournament,” the former India captain had said on February 7 while hugging Samson, who assured him that he was fine. The smile was a distraction, but the eyes told a story.

That story, however, was rewritten within a few weeks and the next video clip of the two talking is now keenly awaited.