T20 World Cup 2026 Player of the Tournament Sanju Samson revealed how he readied himself from warming the bench to being an integral part of the team’s journey to win their 3rd title. The Keralam keeper-batter played three match-winning knocks in the final Super 8 game, the semi-final and final to guide the Men in Blue to their historic third trophy. Samson, who had faced plenty of ups and downs leading to the marquee event, revealed where he had a mindset change and how it enabled him to become a match-winner for India.
How Sanju Samson’s mindset changed before T20 World Cup
Speaking at the BCCI NAMAN Awards 2026, Samson revealed that he had only thought about himself until that point of time. He stated that he had a ‘mental flip’ after that series which forced him to put the team first instead of himself. The Keralam keeper-batter stated that while while one could only dream about his career, he can’t write the path, adding that he wanted to win the T20 WC for India in 2024 but couldn’t be a part of the XI unfortunately. Samson had initially lost his opener’s role to Shubman Gill and forced to bat down the order in late 2025 after which he was benched before finally getting a chance in the series against NZ where he underperformed.
“I wanted to do something like this, I got pulled out of my journey. Suddenly the team wanted me to come and contribute. And that’s when I mentally flipped a bit. In the New Zealand series the focus was on myself and in the World Cup it was all about the team and what it requires. In the ZIM game, right from that moment, everyone wanted me to contribute and o had a role to play. That is when the shift happened,” Samson stated.
He fared rather poorly in the game against Namibia and Zimbabwe, registering scores of 22 and 24. However, it was during the knockout stages and crucial matches where Samson proved his worth. His match-winning knocks of 97*, 89 and 89 against West Indies (in Super 8), England (in the semi-final) and New Zealand (in the final) propelled him to being named the Player of the Series, with 321 runs to his name from 5 innings, averaging 80.25 and boasting of a strike rate of 199.37.
“I had the experience, I was working mentally and physically. So I knew I’m ready and I knew it was meant for me. I have playing this format for a long time and then it was just about planning and going and executing it,” Samson added.
