Sanzhou Samson has revealed how Rohit SharmaHis words of comfort initially failed to convince him as he was left out of India’s starting XI late in the tournament during the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. However, the wicketkeeper-batsman eventually found his confidence again and responded with one of India’s decisive blows against West Indies.After Samson endured a disappointing five-match T20I series against New Zealand in the World Cup, Rohit made it clear that the Kerala batsman still plays a vital role in India’s campaign.“Dukhi mat ho bhai. It’s a long game, kabhi bhi mauka aa sakta hai.” (“Don’t lose heart, brother. It’s a long game. You will get your chance. The chance will come anytime,”) Rohit told Samson as he hugged him.
‘I didn’t believe Rohit then’
Looking back on that difficult period, Samson admits he was disappointed and couldn’t believe his captain’s words.“To be honest, I didn’t believe him at the time. I’m sorry. He may have been speaking from the heart or from his experience, but I couldn’t see what he saw that day. You could see it on my face; something was wrong with me that day,” Samson told JioStar.The Kerala batsman said the disappointment lingered even after India’s World Cup campaign began, making it difficult for him to move on immediately.“Our World Cup campaign starts two days after the New Zealand series and I need at least a week to recover. I don’t like to keep things bottled up, so if I’m not feeling 100 per cent, it shows on my face. I go through this phase for four-five days before I get myself back on track,” he added.
“I started to rediscover myself”
Samson said the setback ultimately turned into an opportunity for self-reflection, helping him reconnect with his goals as a cricketer.“You know you failed, so what’s the next step? You’re at the bottom, so from there, you can only go up. I started working on myself mentally. I started asking myself questions, why am I playing cricket? What is my purpose? It was like the World Cup was going on and I was rediscovering myself. And then it all came back,” Samson said.
Three States Samson’s Redemption
Sanju Samson wrote one of the greatest redemption stories in the history of the T20 World Cup, eventually becoming the man of the tournament and helping India lift the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title on home soil. Samson initially missed out on the starting lineup due to poor form, but he fought his way back into the team and ended the campaign as India’s top run-scorer and third-highest overall scorer, amassing 321 runs in just five games at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37. He also smashed a tournament record of 24 sixes, the most by a batsman in a single T20 World Cup.
