Gambhir Gambhir Explains Why He Backed Sanju Samson In T20 World Cup 2026

India witnessed the rise of a new hero in the T20 World Cup 2026 in the form of Sanju Samson. The wicketkeeper-batter, who was not even in the playing XI at the start of the tournament, produced some of the finest performances imaginable in the three most crucial matches. Samson nearly scored centuries against West Indies (Super 8), England (semi-final), and New Zealand (final), ultimately being named Player of the Tournament. His rise was fuelled by the faith India head coach Gautam Gambhir placed in him.

During a chat on the ANI podcast, Gambhir revealed that he backed Samson because he believed the batter could deliver far more than he had shown. Watching Samson turn into a match-winner in the decisive stages of the T20 World Cup, Gambhir felt his faith had been repaid.

"I backed Sanju Samson all through because I felt, and I still feel, that there's a lot he can deliver for the team. Sometimes players go through a lean run, as he did in the New Zealand series, but that's fine-it's part of the game. I gave him a couple of games off, and once he came back, I knew he was going to deliver for us. I've seen his talent for a long time. If any player has made three T20I hundreds, then going through a lean patch after that is acceptable. Now he's done justice to the faith I showed in him, and hopefully he can kick-start his career again from here. That's what's important for him," Gambhir said when asked about the backing he gave Samson.

#WATCH | On backing Sanju Samson, Head Coach of Team India, Gautam Gambhir says in an interview to ANI, "I backed him because I feel that there is a lot that Sanju Samson can deliver for the team...He's done justice and hopefully, he can kick-start his career again from now on… pic.twitter.com/uqGxKlanWi

— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2026

Samson amassed 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37, hitting 27 fours and 24 sixes. He finished as the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament and surpassed Virat Kohli's tally of 319 runs in the 2014 edition to record the most runs by an Indian in a single T20 World Cup.

While the cricketing world had its eyes on world number one T20 batter Abhishek Sharma, the returning Ishan Kishan, and skipper Suryakumar Yadav as India's potential top run-getters and 'X-factors', it was Samson's commanding presence and authoritative strokeplay that proved decisive.

Before delivering knockout blows to West Indies, England, and New Zealand, Samson had endured a rough patch. Following a poor series against New Zealand, where he managed just 46 runs in five matches, he lost his place as the primary wicketkeeper-batter to Ishan.

In his initial outings during the tournament, Samson played impactful cameos of 22 and 24 against Namibia (group stage) and Zimbabwe (Super 8s), but failed to convert his starts into big scores.

However, he saved his best for the final stages, producing one of the finest T20 World Cup campaigns ever in terms of both statistics and the circumstances in which his runs came. Just when India were fighting for survival after a 76-run loss to South Africa, Samson single-handedly breathed new life into the team.

With ANI inputs

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Sanju Samson Gautam Gambhir T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket