"Sanju Samson Most Loved Cricketer, Has Fan Following Like Kohli, Rohit, Dhoni": Dinesh Karthik

One of the most prolific Indian batters in white-ball cricket, Sanju Samson, gave his brand value a big boost with a match-winning 97 against the West Indies in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8s. Samson's knock was crucial to India's progression to the semi-finals of the tournament. The performance from Samson saw the fans flood social media, singing praises for the wicket-keeper batter. In fact, former India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik feels Samson is the most loved cricketer in India at the moment.

Karthik made quite a bold remark as he suggested that Samson's fan following in India is similar to legends like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and MS Dhoni.

"Sanju Samson is a fantastic story, I feel. Yes, he played that wonderful innings. He is someone who has always been an enigma. People have loved him. He is, for me, the most loved cricketer.

"Virat [Kohli], Rohit [Sharma], [MS] Dhoni, he seems to have that kind of fan following. There is something about how he carries himself. What I've liked in that story is that he has seen plenty of ups and downs. The weight and burden of expectations has not been easy on him, even though he is so talented. That day, that ground, after the three months he had, they almost had to thrust him in, and he did what he did in Calcutta," the former India wicket-keeper batter said on Sky Sports Cricket.

Samson hasn't been an ever-present stay in the Indian team at the T20 World Cup, with Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma being preferred by the team management at the top. Karthik also feels Samson should've been picked at the top of the batting order in the Indian team since the start of the tournament.

"I would have gone for him purely for matchups. Off-spinners were really troubling India. They were constantly not getting those starts that they get. The pitches have been hard but they want to live up to the reputation and that did not work. Off-spinners troubled Abhishek. He did not have the conviction that he normally has. I feel that's got to do with the fact that he got ill at the wrong time. I can look at him and feel like he lacks a bit of muscle," he said.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Sanju Samson Dinesh Karthik Virat Kohli Rohit Sharma MS Dhoni T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket