Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has heaped praise on India cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir for backing Sanju Samson and allowing him to play in the T20 World Cup 2026. The Kerala keeper-batter single handedly powered India into the semi-finals with a 97-run knock against West Indies and followed it up with a magnificent 89-run knock against England in Mumbai on Thursday. Ahead of the T20 WC final, Akhtar has claimed that Gambhir had to fight with a lot of people to bring Sanju back into the playing XI.
Gautam Gambhir credited for Sanju Samson’s resurgence
Speaking on PTV, Akhtar pointed out that Sanju has been active in Indian cricket since 2014 but didn’t get a lot of opportunities as India had other regular wicketkeepers. The former Pakistan pacer claimed that Gambhir had to fight with everyone to get Samson back into the playing XI and that his selection was done forcefully.
“Samson has been in the Indian cricket circuit since 2014. Back in the days when I was working in India, around 2015, there was a lot of hype surrounding him. He had to wait for a long time to get regular chances as India had wicketkeepers like MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik and others. Even now, Gambhir has fought with everyone to get him into the team. Basically, his selection has been done forcefully and after a lot scrutiny. He didn’t feature in the tournament initially,” said Akhtar.
Samson has repaid the faith of Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav with two back-to-back match-winning knocks. His calm and composed nature has allowed India to navigate through tough waters, especially at a time when Abhishek Sharma has been misfiring. Another specatular knock at the Narendra Modi Stadium in the T20 World Cup 2026 final will be a cherry on top of the cake for Samson, as he has already proved his naysayers wrong.
