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India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma’s poignant pep talk to Sanju Samson before India's opening game against the USA has gone viral after Samson's match-winning knock against the West Indies, and the former skipper explained that he gave the pep talk because he wanted to reassure the opener that his chance would come.
Rohit had reassured Samson, who was dropped and kept on the bench, that his chance to play would come, drawing from his own experiences of being on the fringes.
Samson's stellar run in the T20 World Cup 2026 continued unabated as he guided India to the path to the final with back-to-back match-winning knocks. The wicketkeeper-batter slammed an unbeaten 97 against West Indies in the Super 8s clash, and further amplified by his explosive 89-run knock against England in the semi-final.
“Dukhi mat ho bhai. It is a long tournament, kabhi bhi mauka aa sakta hai." (“Don’t be disheartened. It’s a long tournament—you’ll get your chance.") Rohit told Samson, hugging him in a clip shared by ICC.
Rohit, the tournament's brand ambassador, revealed the motivation behind his viral pep talk to Sanju Samson.
“I can sometimes feel the pulse of the player. I have been myself in that place where, you know, when I have been in a tournament like this and my chances have not come, it is important to stay focused and try and do the right things and not get frustrated with you not getting the opportunity and that is what I felt with him," Rohit said while speaking to ICC.
“Because he was consistently playing for India and then was dropped just before the World Cup started, you know, I just wanted to tell him that it is a long tournament and funny things have happened in the past, so I just wanted to reassure him that your chance would come," Rohit added.