Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday heaped praises on Sanju Samson, highlighting the batsman’s match-winning impact during India’s 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup campaign.Addressing the Keralam Karyakartas, Modi referred to Samson’s performance under pressure as a lesson in focus and temperament.
“Today, the cricket season begins, and for the people of Kerala, this is also something to learn.
“As we often see in Sanju Samson’s performances, we saw Sanju Samson in the World Cup,” Modi said.
He watches
Sanju Samson opens his T20 World Cup journey and wins the title
Emphasizing Samson’s rise in high-stakes moments, he added: “With the crisis coming in the tournament, the knockout stage came, and his performance suddenly reached its peak. From start to finish, his focus, confidence and intensity continued to increase.”
This is the identity of a real player.”Modi also emphasized Samson’s ability to deliver when it matters most. He said, “When the team needed him most, he showed his best. This is the identity of a true player.”Samson, who was named Player of the Tournament, amassed 321 runs in five innings at an astonishing average of 80.25 and a strike rate approaching 200. His score included 27 fours and 24 sixes, making him the third highest in the competition.
He also surpassed Virat Kohli’s mark of 319 runs from the 2014 edition – the highest by an Indian in a single T20 World Cup.
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Is Sanju Samson the future of Indian cricket?
After humble beginnings, Samson turned things around with an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies in a virtual knockout, followed by successive 89s against England in the semi-final and New Zealand in the final.India’s emphatic 96-run win over New Zealand sealed their historic title defence, making them the first team to win three T20 World Cups and the first to do so on home soil.