Sanju Samson Earns Suryakumar Yadav’s Praise As India Gear Up For T20 World Cup 2026 Final: 'He Has Worked Hard Even When...'

T20 World Cup 2026: India captain Suryakumar Yadav heaped praise on opener Sanju Samson ahead of the high-stakes final of the T20 World Cup 2026.

ALSO READ: Suryakumar Yadav Fires Back At Mitchell Santner’s ‘Breaking Hearts’ Remark Ahead Of T20 World Cup 2026 Final: 'They Should Try Something New'

Sanju Samson Displays Stunning Form In T20 World Cup 2026

Samson delivered extraordinary performances in India’s last two matches of the tournament, earning the ‘Player of the Match’ award in both fixtures.

In India’s final Super Eight clash against West Indies at Eden Gardens, Samson smashed 97 runs off 50 balls at a strike rate of 194.00, hitting 12 fours and four sixes against the Caribbean attack.

Continuing his fine form in the semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium, the 31-year-old opener scored 89 runs off 42 balls at a blistering strike rate of 211.90, including eight fours and seven sixes.

So far in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, Samson has played four matches, amassing 232 runs at a strike rate of 201.73 and an average of 77.33.

ALSO READ: India vs New Zealand, Head-To-Head In T20I: Can Suryakumar Yadav & Co. Outclass Kiwis In T20 World Cup 2026 Final?

Suryakumar Yadav Heaps Praise On Sanju Samson

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Suryakumar Yadav explained that he and head coach Gautam Gambhir make tough decisions regarding the Playing XI, always prioritizing the team’s benefit.

“Tough calls are taken by both of us (coach Gautam Gambhir and me). We don’t take them individually. We think about how the team benefits. It depends on the match-ups. We also have clear conversations. Like when we dropped Axar for the Super Eight match against South Africa, we explained it to him clearly. People understand that we are doing it for the team. They are also experienced players,” Suryakumar told reporters.

He further highlighted how the team management noticed the effectiveness of the Abhishek Sharma–Sanju Samson–Ishan Kishan combination during India’s last bilateral series, emphasizing the value of the left-right-left batting order.

“When we played the last bilateral series, we saw the importance of the combination of Abhishek, Sanju, and Ishan. We knew how much it helped because of the left, right, left combination,” he added.

Suryakumar also praised Samson’s work ethic, noting that the opener trained hard even when he was not part of the playing XI.

“I saw how hard he worked when he was not playing. That was also very important. I think it’s the reward for how he has worked hard even when he did not get the chances,” he said.

Overall, Samson has represented India in 61 T20Is, scoring 1,310 runs in 53 innings at a strike rate of 154.84 and an average of 27.29, including three centuries and five half-centuries.

India will face New Zealand in the summit clash of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8.