Suryakumar Yadav Reveals Chat With Sanju Samson When He Was Dropped During T20 World Cup
It was a stunning T20 World Cup campaign for Sanju Samson. Despite not playing the first few games for the side, Samson bounced back brilliantly and scored a hat-trick of half-centuries to guide India to the T20 World Cup 2026 title.
- Suryakumar Yadav revealed his conversation with Sanju Samson when the latter was not part of the team
- Samson impressed everyone with his brilliant batting performances during the T20 World Cup 2026
- “When he was not playing I told him: this is a difficult phase," the Indian cricket team captain said
It was a stunning T20 World Cup campaign for Sanju Samson. Despite not playing the first few games for the side, Samson bounced back brilliantly and scored a hat-trick of half-centuries to guide India to the T20 World Cup 2026 title. The wicket-keeper batter impressed everyone with his brilliant batting performances and even ended up winning the Player of the Tournament award. During a recent interaction, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav opened up about Samson's impressive turnaround and revealed the conversation they had when the latter was not part of the team.
“Sanju came with a lot going for him — a keeper who can bat at the top. I remember he came to me once and asked: 'Just tell me what you want from me in this team.' We said: we want the same Sanju Samson we've seen tear attacks apart. And then he told the whole team — we will keep playing what the team wants before what we want. Only then will we achieve something special,” Suryakumar told The Indian Express.
“When he was not playing I told him: this is a difficult phase but you have to take it in stride. If God has written something for you, you will get it. He was preparing himself — if the opportunity comes, grab it, and the whole world will witness it,” he added.
Suryakumar also recalled how the team management turned towards all-rounder Hardik Pandya to inspire the team and encourage them ahead of big matches. Surya and Hardik had a lengthy conversation with the batters following the loss against South Africa and it proved to be a turning point in their campaign.
“When we were in the Asia Cup I told Hardik: you are the most experienced big-match player in this group, share that with the others — talk to them about how to play in big games,” said Suryakumar.
“Then after the South Africa game, something shifted. Hardik and I sat down with the entire batting unit and had a long conversation about how we needed to bat going forward — what the identity of this team actually was. After that our tide changed. Bumrah doesn't need to be told anything — he knows how to work with the bowling unit. Whenever there's a pressure situation he comes running and talks to the players. I saw that as his best quality. Axar is the same.”
Sanju Samson
India Cricket Team