Former Indian wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik showered praise on Sanju Samson for keeping a smile on his face amid the tough times he faced. Samson could only manage 46 runs in five matches against New Zealand before the T20 World Cup and was dropped from the playing XI in the initial matches of the tournament.
However, Samson bounced back in style and delivered for India in three knockout games. Samson was included in the Super 8 stage match against Zimbabwe after India suffered a crushing 76-run loss against South Africa.
The Kerala batter returned with scores of 97(50), 89(42), and 89(46) in the virtual quarterfinals, semifinal and final of the tournament, respectively. The right-hander was awarded Player of the tournament after he scored 321 runs in five matches at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.38.
Dinesh Karthik said on his Instagram handle, “The last month has been unimaginable for you. In fact, the last six months. But what I am in awe of is how you’ve remained calm throughout this journey. Never a smile, never too many emotions, and never trying to come up and explain yourself much. You just went about it in the most Sanju Samson way. That is what makes you very special, always with a smile and always speaking in a warm manner. But the fact is that inside you were bubbling.”
“You knew amid the bad and good times, the only person who can help you is yourself. You went about it in Kerala and did your practice with whoever you trusted. And again in the bilateral before the World Cup, things didn’t go to plan. You desperately tried to be part of the starting 11 in the World Cup, but it didn’t work. But it was when you made a comeback, and India desperately needed you after the South Africa game, you turned a new corner.”
Karthik said Samson put his personal milestone on the backburner and played for the team as he played aggressively despite nearing a hundred.
“You batted in such a way that billion hopes reignited. What you’ve done is what you’ll always be remembered for: That World Cup in 2026. When the chips were down, he came in and made sure he played in a selfless manner. He made it count every time. You missed out on three hundreds but you didn’t care at all because it wasn’t about yourself,” said Karthik (via the aforementioned source).
“This selfless attitude and humongous belief in yourself that no matter what anybody said, you wouldn’t change yourself. You went about it in such a calm, assured, and relaxed manner, but with the huge belief of, ‘I’ll get this done for Team India’. You’ve made millions of your fans so happy.”
Samson will be next seen in action while playing for CSK in IPL 2026.
