Sanju Samson delivered ‘when the team needed him the most’ -Gautam Gambhir
After Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 97 secured India’s qualification into the semi-final of the T20 World Cup
He stepped up to the plate – rose to the occasion – performed well under pressure and rescued the team.
When he came through performed as required under intense pressure.
He anchored the chase and showcased composure and “zen mode”.
Sanju Samson validated the trust – Justified the team management’s backing.
In context of the 2026 match (vs West Indies), it was described as a “masterclass” and a “special” innings that “muted his haters”.
India coach Gautam Gambhir further believed that wicketkeeper-batter would come good at the right time.
He further told reporters after the game that it was all about backing him. When the team needed him the most – obviously today was the day – he showed his full potential.”
What stood out for Gambhir was the control in Samson’s innings. He said the signs had been there in training, even if Samson didn’t post big scores in the lead up to the World Cup.
He actually felt that he never accelerated the innings. It was just very normal cricketing shots and he never saw him muscling the ball as well. That is the kind of talent he has.
“Obviously he had a tough series against New Zealand, so sometimes it’s important to give him a break as well, because you want to get the guy off that pressure situation as well. And the team always knew that whenever he was needed in the World Cup game, he’ll come and deliver it.
While Samson stayed right till the end in the chase of 196, Gambhir also pointed to the bowling powerplay as a key phase. India conceded only 45 even if they didn’t strike in the first six overs.
He thought team started off really well, especially when you play this kind of a game of this magnitude adding that you’ve got to start off really well with the new ball, which Arshdeep and Hardik did.
And the way they started off in the first three overs was really good and then Axar bowled two overs in the powerplay, which was again a great job done by him. It’s never easy on this wicket on their ground to bowl two overs in a powerplay, but Axar did that really well.
The powerplay didn’t go away from us, which was very important because once the powerplay goes away it’s very difficult to control.
Sanju Samson batted through the innings
When asked if India are peaking at the right time, bouncing back with two strong wins after the loss to South Africa, Gambhir said he did not believe in that concept. He also said he asks his players to back their instinct over data.
“You’ve got to win every game that you represent your country,” he said. “There is nothing like peaking at the right time. It’s a short tournament, it’s a tournament that comes and goes very quickly. So you’ve got to try and play your A game every time.
Gambhir doesn’t believe in data, honestly. He has never seen the data and doesn’t even know what data is all about and doesn’t absolutely believe it. Because he feel it’s more about instinct and thinks T20 cricket is about instinct and backing your instinct as well.”
He made a similar point about batting roles, referencing Tilak Varma, who made a 15-ball 27 from No. 5 to keep India’s required run-rate in check.
“He’s batted out of his position,” Gambhir said. “He batted at No. 3 initially. But now when we’ve pushed him to five or six and see how he’s batted. So you’ve got that talent. You need to have that talent where you can bat out of positions. And more importantly, positions are overrated.”
And when asked about Shivam Dube’s four-ball eight at the end that helped them finish the match with four balls to spare, Gambhir said in a team sport the small contributions all add up and Sunday was the best example of that.
“Look, now you’re talking about every contribution,” Gambhir said. “Because for too many years, we’ve only spoken about certain contributions. This is a team sport. And this will always remain a team sport.
“For Gambhir, he thinks Dube’s two boundaries are as important as Sanju’s 97. Because had Dube not been able to hit those two boundaries. You wouldn’t have even spoken about Sanju.
“The big contributions make headlines but those small contributions help the team go across the line. That is the philosophy in the team.”
Sanju SamsonGautam GambhirIndiaWest IndiesIndia vs West IndiesICC Men’s T20 World Cup
News Edit KV Raman
