Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has praised the wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson for his highly skilful performances in the recent T20I World Cup 2026. Samson’s path to glory was not smooth, but when the team needed him most, he rose to the occasion. In the lead-up to the tournament, he endured a disappointing bilateral series against New Zealand, scoring 46 runs across five T20Is at an average of 9.20. And, in the World Cup, he was initially left out of the playing XI, with Ishan Kishan being preferred over him.

Later in the tournament, the team management decided to change the combination following a big defeat against South Africa. That's when Samson was brought in, and he seized the opportunity smartly, producing match-winning performances in the most crucial moments of the tournament and leading India to the title win.

Samson played stunning knocks of 89*, 97, and 89 to lead India's batting assault. His explosive batting proved decisive in India’s semifinal clash against England at Wankhede, where he counterattacked with fearless stroke play to shift the momentum in India’s favour.

“Purity of batting is generally a virtue in the longest format of the game, Test match cricket, and occasionally in the 50-over game, but hardly ever in the ultra-short format of the game. Samson provided that in all his three fifty-plus innings in playing classical cricket shots, along with some of the most imperious pulling and hooking seen in recent times. His pulling, off the fierce pace of Jofra Archer, was reminiscent of Viv Richards at his powerful best, though most of his batting is more like the Sri Lankan stylist Mahela Jayawardene,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for SportStar.

Across the knockout stages, Samson delivered three impactful knocks that showed his power hitting and maturity.

“Sanju Samson is a prime example of how form can change in one innings. He was not even in the mix at the start of the tournament after a horrific time in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, just before the World Cup started. Rinku Singh’s father’s condition worsening before his demise meant that Rinku left the team to go and see him. While he did return to the team, the management thought it better not to play him and opted to bring back Samson. This meant there was a right and left-hand combination at the top of the batting order once again, and even as Abhishek Sharma faltered, Samson grabbed his chance and played three pearlers that would be remembered for years to come,” Gavaskar said.