Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson will step onto one of the biggest stages of his career this Sunday as he prepares to play his maiden World Cup Final. India’s journey to the final of the T20I World Cup has been remarkable, and a large part of that success can be credited to Samson’s skilful performances. Over the past week, Samson has been India’s most influential performer. 

His back-to-back fiery knocks have underlined his importance to the team during the knockout phase of the tournament. Last Sunday, India faced West Indies in a tense encounter. Chasing a challenging total, Samson held his nerve, remaining unbeaten on 97, taking India over the line. And on Thursday Samson dismantled England’s bowling attack with a powerful knock of 89.

"It means one of the best moments in my life. I'm very grateful for that. I have been playing this format for a very long time. I played around 300 or 400 T20s. I played from one to six. I have captained the (IPL) franchise, so I kind of have the experience of knowing what does a team demand at the moment and what is my exact role in this XI. So that clarity definitely helps you to score runs the way you want to," Samson said at the press conference.

Samson has been fearless in the past two matches, giving India good starts in the powerplay. It all was visible during the match against England, where he adopted an aggressive approach, powering India to a monster total of 253/7.

"Last match was all about taking the team along. As soon as we built momentum, wickets were falling. So I had to finish it until the last ball, but this game was completely different. When you are batting first in Wankhede, you know no score is enough here. So, after I got a start, I wanted to capitalise and hit as many sixes and fours as possible for the team," Samson said.