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India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has spoken about one of the toughest phases of his international career, revealing how Rohit Sharma’s words of encouragement helped him bounce back during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Samson said he found it difficult to trust Rohit’s assurance after losing his place in the playing XI towards the end of the T20I series against New Zealand. At that stage, he was disappointed and unable to see the bigger picture that his captain was talking about.
“To be honest, I didn’t believe him at that time. Sorry. He might have spoken from his heart or from his experience, but that day I wasn’t able to see what he was seeing. You could see it on my face; I was a bit off that day,” Samson told JioStar.
A Tough Phase Before the World Cup
The Kerala batter admitted that the disappointment stayed with him even after the World Cup began. He said it usually takes him time to move on from setbacks, and he could not hide how he was feeling during those first few days.
“Our World Cup campaign started two days after the New Zealand series, and it takes me at least a week to recover. I don’t like to bottle things up, so it shows on my face if I’m not feeling 100 per cent. I went through that phase for four or five days before getting myself back on track,” he added.
Finding Confidence Again
Samson said the difficult period forced him to look within and rethink his purpose as a cricketer. Instead of letting the setback affect him further, he used it as motivation to rebuild his confidence.
“You know you’ve failed, so what’s next? You’re at the bottom, so from there, you can only go up. I started working on myself mentally. I started asking myself questions, why do I play cricket? What’s my purpose? It was like I was rediscovering myself while the World Cup was going on. And then everything just came back,” Samson said.
That change in mindset eventually helped him play one of the most important knocks of India’s campaign against the West Indies in what was a virtual quarter-final.
The Innings That Changed Everything
Looking back at that match, Samson said he felt completely in control and prepared well after the previous game against Zimbabwe. According to him, it was one of those rare days when everything worked perfectly.
“I prepared much better for that game after the Zimbabwe one. There are days I’ve played in the IPL and for India, and I’ve scored those centuries, when everything just feels right. It was one of those days. You just enjoy, stay in the moment, stay in the process, and things start happening automatically.”
Adapting to the Match Situation
Samson also explained that although he usually looks to attack after the Powerplay, the situation against the West Indies forced him to change his approach because wickets kept falling at the other end.
“I also knew it was a very big game for India. After the powerplay, I usually go into fifth gear. I’m an opener, if I get through the PowerPlay, and we bat till No. 8, my game plan is to take on the bowling. But in that game, every time I felt it was time to attack, a wicket would fall at the other end. That’s when I realised the game is the biggest teacher. The game tells you what to do,” he stated.
An Emotional Celebration
After the match, Samson’s celebration caught everyone’s attention. He said it was never about personal glory but about expressing gratitude for being able to contribute when the team needed him the most.
“It’s a very private celebration, but it became very public. I’m a very strong believer. I believe in my God, and I know it wasn’t me.”
The wicketkeeper-batter added that even he was surprised by some of the shots he played during the innings and believes that special knock will remain one of the biggest moments of his career.
“I’ve played enough innings to know which shots I hit, and then there are some where I wonder, ‘How did I hit that one?’ I’m just very grateful that it happened through me, that I was able to help the team. That moment will stay with me till my last breath. It was very special,” he mentioned.