Sanju Samson became a World Cup hero with a broken heart, created history with 24 sixes and being Player of the Series, this is about Sachin Tendulkar only.

Ahmedabad: Sanju Samson’s 2026 has been like the script that usually goes for dramatic, formulaic films, with so many twists and turns that you remain emotionally engaged throughout. Most recently on January 31, he looked a sad man in front of his home crowd in Thiruvananthapuram when Ishan Kishan snatched his World Cup spot as the opener-keeper. Samson was struggling with poor form with the bat since the beginning of 2025, and was moved to the middle-order to make way for Shubman Gill for some time.

The selectors reversed that decision and put him back on top, but the runs were still slipping away and Kishan dismissed him, which is the kind of batting this team has done in this World Cup cycle. So right there, on a scary night at his home ground, he saw his dream of playing in the T20 World Cup slip through his fingers just before the tournament.

Samson said, “I think right after the New Zealand series, I was devastated. I was completely crazy. I was like ‘Okay, my dreams are shattered. What else can I do?'” But these words came on a very joyous night on Sunday, where he came full circle from disappointment to joy – the third of his dream World Cup nights ended with India winning. Samson started the World Cup as expected on the bench, only coming on when he had to replace the ill Abhishek Sharma in a group game.

After Abhishek recovered, the bib was put back on. But India’s top-three batsmen were struggling against off-spin, forcing them to bring Samson back to break it. This time there were signs of a more confident Samson taking advantage of the opportunity as he scored a quickfire 24 off 15 balls against Zimbabwe. The real restoration of his batting power came at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, where he scored 97 off 50 balls in a near-knockout game against the West Indies. Once the big runs started being scored, there was no stopping them. England bore the brunt of it in the semi-finals and New Zealand saw the balls fly in the final as they departed the World Cup with scores of 89 (42) and 89 (46).

After one such night, Samson also revealed that during the Australia tour last year, when he was left out of the Indian team, he contacted Sachin Tendulkar to express his feelings. Samson said, “For the last few months, I have been in constant touch with Sachin sir. I think when I was sitting out in Australia, I thought ‘What mindset is needed now?’ So, I spoke to sir and I had a very, very, big talk with him.”

He added, “And yesterday too, he called me up to ask how I was feeling. So, I think having guidance from someone like him, what more could I ask for?” In the end, Samson was just thankful how everything turned out. India’s batsman had already seen a very close victory in the T20 World Cup – but not when he played a game as a member of the team in 2024.

Samson said, “But God had other plans. I think I suddenly got back into the game and did what I could for my country.” “It feels like a dream. There are no words, no emotions. I’m just going through it, so it feels a bit strange. To be honest, it all started a couple of years ago. “When I was in the West Indies with the team that won the 2024 World Cup, I didn’t play a single game. I kept thinking. I kept dreaming. I kept working. That’s what I wanted to do then.”