When ‘God of Cricket’ came to Samson’s rescue: ‘Long conversations with Tendulkar helped me’

Sanju Samson was the highlight of Team India’s success at the just concluded T20 World Cup 2026, which the Men in Blue won by 96 runs after beating New Zealand in a lop-sided finale in Ahmedabad on Sunday (Mar 8). However, he wasn’t the first choice until the management decided to bring him back for the Zimbabwe fixture in the Super 8, and the rest is history.

Samson’s form before the competition was horrendous, and he admitted to feeling ‘broke and shattered’ over it. As he felt clueless about his international career, a long conversation with cricket’s God, Sachin Tendulkar, helped him find solace. Samson revealed he was out of his mind following a forgettable home T20I series against New Zealand but he couldn’t have afforded to lose control over his game as the 20-team tournament was around the corner; however, for him to keep himself motivated, plenty of chatter with several seniors, and especially with Tendulkar, helped him revive his game and do wonders later on.

While Samson was nowhere near his best just before the tournament started, he slammed runs and records for fun during the fag end of the T20 World Cup. Samson hit match-winning knocks against the West Indies in the virtual knockout, England in the semifinal and New Zealand in the grand finale, finishing this T20 WC with 321 runs, among the top three.

"To be honest, there has been a lot of guidance and suggestions from senior players," Samson said after winning the Player of the Tournament award in the T20 WC. "A lot of former players have reached out to me and tried to help me out. From the last couple of months…I hope I can share it here. I've been in constant touch with Sachin [Tendulkar] sir. When I was sitting outside in Australia [during the T20Is in October]… I wasn't playing a game; I thought about what mindset is required.

"I reached out to sir and had huge [long] conversations with him. Even yesterday [Saturday] night, he called me up to check how I am feeling. Getting guidance from someone like him - that clarity, game preparation, awareness and game sense - I'm grateful for everyone who supported me,” he continued.

New Zealand series broke Samson

Samson opened with Abhishek Sharma in the New Zealand T20I series, and in five matches, scored just 46 runs. With Kishan making inroads in his new number three role at the other end, the team management replaced Samson with him for India’s T20 WC opener, with the two left-handers playing a few games on the trot later.

However, following Abhishek’s surprise poor run at the top and Rinku’s sudden absence from the camp, Samson returned to the scheme of things and was recalled to the playing XI for the second Super 8 match against Zimbabwe. After which, he struck 97* and 89 twice to help India win its 3rd T20 World Cup crown.

"Right after the New Zealand series, I was broke. I was completely out of my mind. I felt like my dreams had shattered. I thought, 'Okay, what else can I do?' But God had different plans. I suddenly came back into the crucial games [starting with the virtual quarter-final against West Indies], and did what I could for the country. I'm very proud and happy that I was courageous enough to dream about it, and things have turned up nicely for me, so I'm really grateful,” Samson said.