Indian Sanju Samson with coach Gautam Gambhir (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has praised Indian coach Gautam Gambhir for his support of Sanju Samson, whose hot form with the bat has become one of the biggest talking points in the ongoing 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.Samson was reinstated in the Indian playing XI after the team’s loss to South Africa, in what was a knockout encounter against the West Indies cricket team. The wicket-keeper-batsman seized the opportunity in style, smashing a brilliant 97 during a tense chase to guide India to victory. He carried that momentum into the semi-finals, producing 89 off just 42 balls as India defeated the England cricket team to book a place in the final against the New Zealand national cricket team.
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Speaking on PTV Sports’ ‘Game On Hai’, Akhtar clarified that Samson’s return to the team was not a straightforward decision. According to the former skipper, Gambhir had to strongly advocate for the inclusion of the batsman in the team management setup.“Samson has been in the Indian cricket circuit since 2014. In the days when I was working in India, around 2015, there was a lot of hype surrounding him. He had to wait a long time to get regular opportunities as India had wicket-keepers like M.S.
Donnie
Dinesh Karthik et al. So far, Gambhir has battled with everyone to get him into the team.
Basically, it was chosen forcefully and after a lot of scrutiny. “He did not participate in the tournament initially,” Akhtar said in a video shared by Tapmad.Samson’s numbers in the tournament confirm his excellent level. In four matches so far, he has amassed 232 runs at an impressive average of 77.33 and a strike rate of 201.73, including two half-centuries. His highest score remains an unbeaten 97 against West Indies in the virtual quarter-final in Kolkata.The 31-year-old also engraved his name next to it
Virat Kohli
After his heroics in the semi-finals. Samson’s 89 against England equaled Kohli’s record for the highest score by an Indian in a T20 World Cup knockout match. Kohli produced an identical 89 off 47 balls against West Indies during the 2016 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final at the same venue.Samson also dominated the six charts in this edition of the tournament. With 16 maximum scores to his name, he has already surpassed the previous Indian record of 15 sixes in a single T20 World Cup campaign, which was set by
Rohit Sharma
In the 2024 edition.